


Paradise City

by upsgirl88



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Bodyguard Romance, F/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-01-18 12:29:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 66,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12388092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/upsgirl88/pseuds/upsgirl88
Summary: “He doesn’t need one,” Bronn said with a shrug.  “There’s a psycho stalking him, but he doesn’t need a bodyguard.  The psycho somehow got past the last bodyguard and left a love note on his bus while he showered and then managed to evade the coppers too, but nah, it’s fine - he doesn't need a bodyguard.”  Bronn rolled his eyes.  “Fucking deal with it Lannister - she’s gonna make sure your ass stays alive because if you get offed I’m outta the best gig I’ll ever have.”  He looked back at Brienne, “Enjoy the show - you’re on the clock as of right now.  You’ll share his bus… don’t worry, there’s plenty of room.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm attempting this AU thing... I think this could be a fun one. I'm a tad nervous though so hopefully y'all enjoy the set up:)

Brienne tentatively stepped out from the side of the stage and looked around the arena. Empty. It was completely empty. She found that rather odd given sound check was supposed to be soon, though she really didn’t know much about the inner workings of a rock concert. She moved towards the middle of the stage and noticed the instruments were out and ready. Front and center was a stunning silver electric guitar. She knew the story - everyone did. The guitar had been handcrafted for it’s owner, made with materials from one of the late Jimi Hendrix’s guitars from his personal collection. Some said it was like his ghost lived in the guitar and made it sound even better when it was played. 

She looked around again and when she still didn’t see a soul Brienne picked up the guitar. She knew it was wrong. It wasn’t hers to touch and she could get in some serious trouble if she got caught. Once it was in her hands though, and she slung the strap over her shoulder she forgot about everything but the desire from within to play it. She’d started lessons when she was just a little girl. She’d begged her daddy to let her and finally he agreed. It had been a long time since she’d played though. 

Brienne gave a light strum to test how loud the amps were. Relief filled her when she found out they must have been just barely on, likely so the techs could tune the instruments but not have them wailing through the whole building like they would be that night. The guitar felt amazing in her hands and within seconds she realized how much she missed playing. She did a short riff, the start of Free Falling, and told herself to put it down. But something compelled her to play a little more and before she knew it she was shredding hard core, lost in the feel of the instrument and the sounds she was making it play. She played a bit of Hard to Handle and then went right into her favourite - Thunderstruck by AC/DC. 

Her eyes were closed as her fingers flew over the frets and her other hand strummed and picked. It all came back to her like she’d never quit and it felt so good. All of a sudden the sounds coming from the amp stopped and Brienne froze. Someone was there. “What are you doing?” 

“Oh God, I'm so sorry,” she gasped, afraid to turn around because she knew exactly who was standing there by his slight accent. 

“You're a woman?” He sounded confused and still she didn't turn. It wasn't the first time she’d been mistaken for a man from behind. 

“Oh good, you're both here. This is perfect,” Another voice spoke, also from behind her. She knew that voice too. Brienne slowly put the guitar back on its stand and then turned. “I’ve been looking for you Brienne.” She looked from one man to the other. The first was Jaime Lannister - lead singer of Kingslayer, the most famous rock band in the United States, likely the entire world. He was everything you would expect from a superstar, handsome with blonde hair that fell in his eyes sometimes, tall, muscular… all around sexy. It was no wonder practically every woman on the planet was in love with him, and likely half the men too. It was his guitar she’d been playing and he was likely pissed off given the scowl on his face. 

Then other man was Bronn, Jaime’s manager and the one who had hired her only a few days earlier. He was a bit rough around the edges and crude at times, but he was very, very good at his job and well respected in the business. 

She realized Jaime was looking her up and down and the scowl had been replaced by his usual arrogant smirk. Most thought the look was charming or sexy, but quite honestly Brienne just found it annoying. “Jaime, this is Brienne - your new bodyguard,” Bronn announced. 

Jaime was off in his own little world and she wasn't even sure he heard what Bronn had said. “Where did you find this beast?” He remarked, still eying her with that stupid grin. 

“She comes highly recommended,” Bronn explained, going over a list of her credentials. “Spent some time as a P.I., then a bounty hunter, and fuck, I’ve seen her shoot at the range - she doesn’t miss her target.” 

“Are you really a woman? Are you like, part Viking or something?” Jaime mused, still nattering on while she continued to ignore him. 

“Jaime. Jaime,” Bronn tried to get his attention. “Dipshit - fuck man… we’re talking here.” 

“Huh, oh yeah… Bodyguard. I don’t need one, told you that already. Sorry Sweetheart,” he said. “Looks like you’re unemployed.” Why did he always look like something funny was happening? She had to clench her fists to fight the urge to smack the smirk off his face. 

“He doesn’t need one,” Bronn said with a shrug. “There’s a psycho stalking him, but he doesn’t need a bodyguard. The psycho somehow got past the last bodyguard and left a love note on his bus while he showered and then managed to evade the coppers too, but nah, it’s fine - he doesn't need a bodyguard.” Bronn rolled his eyes. “Fucking deal with it Lannister - she’s gonna make sure your ass stays alive because if you get offed I’m outta the best gig I’ll ever have.” He looked back at Brienne, “Enjoy the show - you’re on the clock as of right now. You’ll share his bus… don’t worry, there’s plenty of room.” 

“Uh… is that really necessary?” She asked. She hadn’t been expecting such close quarters. 

“No, it’s not.” Jaime replied. “My bus? Are you fucking insane?” He spat at Bronn. 

“Once the police catch the stalker we’ll find her a new place to sleep, but for now - you don’t leave her sight,” Bronn wasn’t taking no for an answer and Jaime knew it. He looked defiant, but he didn’t say anymore about it. 

“She touched my guitar,” Jaime said with a pout, sounding like a toddler. 

“I heard,” Bronn replied. He smacked Jaime’s ass, hard. “Maybe she could give you some pointers.” With that he was gone, leaving the two of them alone. 

“I really am sorry about that Mr. Lannister,” Brienne said politely. “It wasn't…” 

“Where’d you learn to play like that?” He interrupted. 

“Oh, um….” She felt her face get hot. He was looking at her differently now and without the cockiness it really made him much more attractive. “I took some lessons as a kid… spent a lot of time practicing… but I haven't played in many, many years.” 

“Why not?” he asked bluntly. 

“It's not something I wanna talk about,” Brienne muttered. Jaime narrowed his eyes but stayed silent for a moment, like he was trying really hard to figure her out but wasn't getting anywhere. “Anyway, I’m really good at my job and I swear I'll keep you safe,” she said, breaking the awkward silence. 

Jaime made some scoffing noise but before he could say anymore the rest of the band and a bunch of crew showed up, ready for sound check. Brienne slipped off to the wings again and made herself comfortable to watch. 

After sound check the guys went to get food from the caterers. Brienne just hung back, keeping Jaime in sight, but staying out of his way. She did that for much of the day, into the evening as show time was approaching. When the opening act took the stage Brienne was given an earpiece to communicate with the rest of the security team that would be in place while Jaime and the band were on stage. 

He spent the entire opening act and set change in his dressing room, so she stayed outside the door to make sure no one unapproved went in. She’d been getting a countdown in her ear and when it got to 3 minutes she banged on his door as she’d been instructed. “3 minutes,” she called out. Within seconds Jaime came flying out the door looking like the man she’d seen in so many pictures and posters - tight ripped jeans, leather shirt only half buttoned, hair perfect, rings on his fingers… She wondered how much was actually his style and how much was for show. 

“Ready to see how it’s done Blondie,” he asked, his arrogance was oozing out of every pore. As much as it was a complete turn off… the fact of the matter was that he actually had the skill to go with his cocky attitude. 

“It’s Brienne,” she muttered, following him towards the stage. She learned quickly that every second mattered and the whole event was a well oiled machine. It was actually surprising how quickly time passed too. Jaime and the band were so good - it was easy to understand why they were as popular as they were. Much to her own dismay Brienne even found herself humming along while she scanned the crowd constantly, watching for anything that might look suspicious or threatening. 

It was hard not to watch Jaime though. He was certainly distracting with his swagger and energy. Somehow she avoided getting caught up in his onstage antics until he went back out for a second encore - which happened to be the final song of the night. She was leaning on a huge case, filled with guitars from the opening act, her eyes fixed on the profile of the gorgeous man perched on a stool in the spotlights - center stage. 

It was a cover of Imagine by John Lennon - just him and his guitar. If he wasn’t so captivating to watch she would have closed her eyes and simply listened to his sweet, beautiful voice, but Brienne couldn’t tear her eyes away. She knew one thing for sure - Jaime didn’t get nearly enough credit for how good his voice truly was because he was known for his guitar playing and high energy shows. His voice was so tender and smooth it was bringing her close to tears. 

Suddenly he looked over and she could have swore he sang a line right to her: _You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…”_ She blushed and looked away, but felt foolish, knowing that the spotlights would have prevented him from seeing her anyway. 

Still, there was a part of her that was hoping he might look her way again with the very same line during the next chorus. It was coming up and her heart started to hammer when she watched his head turn her way. Brienne felt her cheeks burning and wanted to move further into the darkness, terrified he really could see her. But she was frozen in place. She couldn’t lift a foot. 

He sang the last notes of the song and the crowd erupted in cheers. Brienne watched him slip down off his stool, smiling, as the rest of the band came out for a final bow. Her heart was pounding as he finished shaking hands with fans up at the stage and made his way off in her direction. Jaime completely ignored her and buzzed right by. She had to push and shove her way through the flow of people to catch up to him. He was full of energy, laughing and joking with everyone… everyone but her. It was as if he’d decided she didn’t exist. The further they walked people started to drop off until it was just the two of them. 

Jaime headed right for his bus and she followed like she was supposed to. “Oh fuck are you really still here?” he muttered when she climbed up the stairs right behind him. 

“Yep, it is my job,” she shot back, closing and locking the door behind her. Jaime gave her a look when he heard the click of the lock. “Safety first,” Brienne shrugged. 

He was looking at her again, but this time she couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. Jaime unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off, then kicked off his boots and socks until he was wearing only the jeans. He raised his eyebrows and undid his top button, then unzipped his pants. What the fuck was he doing? She started to turn her head when he spoke. “If you’re gonna be staying here you better get used to it.” Brienne looked back just in time to see his pants hit the floor, leaving him completely naked. Apparently underwear weren’t part of his attire. “I like being naked.” It wasn’t until he announced he was going for a shower and wandered off somewhere in the back while she checked out his perfect ass that Brienne finally took another breath. She sunk into the nearest chair with a sigh. What the hell had she got herself into?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, you guys are amazing!!! Thank you so much for all the love on the first chapter! 
> 
> My plan is to try to work in actual dialogue from the show to certain scenes in the fic when possible. With this being set in modern times it might come off as a bit strange, but I want to try to keep the feel of how their relationship was at the start. Hope that makes sense. Anyway, thank you for reading and I do hope you enjoy the classic J/B banter :)

No more than 10 minutes later she looked up to see Jaime emerge from the back. His hair was hanging in wet wisps and he was still mostly naked, but at least he’d put on a pair of underwear - those boxer brief kind, in navy blue. 

For some reason he looked bigger without clothes on. Maybe because she could see his muscular arms, broad shoulders and defined abs. His legs were very muscled too, but she'd already noticed that when he would bend backwards during a guitar riff in a full on matrix move and not fall over. 

He opened the fridge, grabbed two bottles of water and then plopped down on the couch. He tossed one in her direction and Brienne caught it. “I'm starving,” he commented. She watched him pick up his cell phone off the table in front of him. “What do you like on your pizza?” He asked. 

Brienne assumed they were going to bed, not ordering take out. “Uh, shouldn't you… we… be going to bed soon? It's like almost 2am.” 

He chuckled, “You’re on a rock star schedule now Love.” Whatever that meant. “Pizza?” 

“I'm not really hungry…” she started.

“Just have a damn slice of pizza with me… please?” It looked like it hurt him to add the please, which was quite amusing. 

Brienne gave in, “Pepperoni and mushroom.” 

“Thank fuck,” he said, grinning widely. “I love a chick who eats ‘shrooms.” Jaime quickly typed into his phone and then set it down. “It’ll be here in like 20 minutes.” He opened his water and downed half the bottle, then put the cap back on. “So, what do I call you? I like nick names - how about Bri?” He said. Before she could answer he continued to ramble. “Would that be with an ‘i’ or ‘ie’ - like the cheese?” 

“You can call me Brienne,” she interrupted. 

Jaime eyed her. “Then Bri it is, not the cheese version though, that’s just weird.” She rolled her eyes. “So Bri… let's chat shall we?” She shrugged. It was going to be a one sided chat, she could tell already. She wasn't much of a talker and clearly he was. Must like the sound of his own sexy voice, she thought. Sexy? Ugh, why did that adjective keep coming up? Because it's accurate unfortunately, she decided. “While we’re waiting for that pizza we might as well get to know each other. Have you known many men?” Was he fucking serious? The tone he used was suggestive. “I suppose not,” he continued. “Women?” She glared at him. He wasn’t the first to assume she was a lesbian, but she wasn’t about to justify his ignorance with a response. “I didn’t mean to offend you,” he followed up quickly. Brienne continued to scowl. “Why do you hate me?” Now this was intriguing, clearly Mr. Sexy wasn’t used to anyone not falling at his feet, madly in love. Still she remained silent though, waiting to see what he would say next. “Has anyone ever told you you’re as boring as you are ugly?” he sighed, giving her a pout. He was trying so hard to get a rise out of her and there was no way it was going to happen. 

“You will not provoke me to anger,” she replied, crossing her arms. 

“I already have,” he sneered. “Look at you, you’re ready to chop my head off. Do you think you could? Do you think you could beat me in a fair fight?” 

“I’ve never seen you fight,” Brienne said, shrugging. What was the point of this conversation anyway? He was acting more like a prisoner than her employer. 

“The answer is no,” he said arrogantly. 

Brienne had finally had enough. “All my life men like you have sneered at me. And all my life I’ve been knocking men like you into the dust.” It was the truth. When she was a P.I. she was always getting challenged by arrogant men who thought they were better than her. And the few years she was a bounty hunter it was even worse. But she never let them beat her, physically or emotionally and damned if she would let this spoiled, arrogant rock star do it either. 

He was quiet for a while and just when Brienne thought maybe he was actually done he spoke again. “You’re a virgin I take it?” She blinked at him but didn’t dignify the question with a response. “Your childhood must have been awful for you. Were you a foot taller than all the boys? They laughed at you, called you names… Some boys like a challenge… One or two must have tried to get inside big Brienne.” 

“One or two tried,” she said icily. It was extremely annoying that he was hitting so close to home without knowing anything about her but her physical appearance. A drunk asshole or two at a party she never should have been at… But she was strong and they couldn’t overpower her like they did those other girls - or maybe they were too drunk to even try to fight. There weren’t many good memories from high school, that was for sure. 

“You fought them off,” he chuckled. “Maybe you wished one of them could overpower you, fling you down, tear off your clothes… None of them were strong enough.” Brienne was raging on the inside. He was even more of an asshole than she could have possibly imagined. She was no longer sure the money was worth it, but it went beyond money. She owed a favour to a friend and this job was part of that, which meant it was more about honour than money anyway and that was one thing she wouldn’t sacrifice. “I’m strong enough,” he continued, giving her a smirk. 

“Not interested,” Brienne replied coldly. When the fuck is he going to shut up? She wondered. 

“Of course you are,” he said cockily. “You’d love to know what it feels like to be a woman.” Brienne was angry but what made her even more angry was that he was right. Not that she was interested in him - not even close, but she did want to know what it felt like… Fuck she wanted to strangle his stupid neck, but then she really would be unemployed. 

Brienne decided to turn the tables. “Since you’re so interested in talking about people’s sex lives…” 

“Or lack thereof,” he muttered. 

She ignored him and continued. “Let’s talk about yours. Rumour has it you’re with a different woman every night. Sometimes two. A regular manwhore.” 

“Don’t believe everything you hear,” he sighed. “You’d be surprised just how wrong you are.” 

“Oh come on,” she scoffed. Was he really going to pretend that he wasn’t doing leggy hot young girls on every stop of the tour? 

“Maybe I’ll tell you about it some day. When you tell me why you quit playing guitar,” he jabbed. 

Brienne was still baffled that he was still denying being a manwhore. Usually men like him bragged about it. “So that will be - never,” she said adamantly. There was no way she was going to share something so personal with him, especially when it was related to why she was currently there working for his rude, annoying… sexy ass. She did have confirmation that his ass was sexy, but he knew it all too well. 

“But I’m sure it’s such an intriguing story,” Jaime pressed. 

“Touche,” she replied. 

That made him laugh. “See, you’re much more interesting when you talk.” That made her want to give him the silent treatment again, just to annoy him. “You’re the only one besides me that’s played that guitar,” he said suddenly. His voice had changed a bit, taking on a more serious tone. “I don’t even let the techs tune it.” 

If there was one thing she understood it was how personal an instrument is to a musician. “I’m really sorry,” she apologized again. “That was so wrong of me.” 

“Did it feel good though?” He leaned forward as if he was actually interested in her response. “Could you feel it? His spirit?” 

Brienne thought back to how she’d felt when she played the guitar. She knew for sure it was like no other instrument she’d ever played. It was as if she couldn’t screw up a single chord even though she should have fumbled, being as out of practice as she was. Maybe there really was some truth to the crazy idea of ghosts in guitars. “Yeah,” she whispered, still lost in thought with her eyes closed. “I think I could.” When she opened her eyes he was looking at her with a smile. It was possibly the first genuine smile she’d seen on his face. It wasn’t a smirk or a sneer, it was as if he appreciated her answer and an acknowledgement that they had shared something special that no one else would understand. 

There was a rap on the door that ended the moment. “Pizza’s here,” he announced, jumping up to answer the door. Brienne saw it was Bronn who was there with the box. “You couldn’t find anyone else to drop off my late night snack?” Jaime teased his manager. 

“I wanted to see how the two of you were getting along,” he shot back. “Everything good Brienne? Is he treating you okay?” Before she answered he glared at Jaime. “You’re not being a complete dick are you?” 

“Nah, not completely, right Bri?” Jaime looked back at her for confirmation. He wandered over to her and slung an arm around her shoulder, pulling her against him. Her cheek was pressed up against his bare chest. “She loves me,” he said, giving her a bit of a shake. “Isn’t that right Bri?” 

Brienne rolled her eyes, trying to pay no attention to the intimacy of their position. “Oh he’s charming that’s for sure,” she drawled sarcastically. 

“Be nice you fucking asshole,” Bronn said to Jaime. Then he looked at Brienne. “At 3am I’ll have someone take night shift outside the bus so you can get some sleep in here.” She nodded gratefully, trying not to yawn. He handed the pizza to Jaime who had finally released her. “Night kids.” 

With that Bronn was gone and Jaime locked the door behind him. “Looks like it’s just you and me Darling,” he said with a wink. “Pizza?” he opened the box in her direction. Brienne begrudgingly took a slice and then looked at the clock with a sigh. 3am was still so far away and Jaime was talking - again. Brienne wondered how long she could tune him out before he had a temper tantrum as she chewed her pizza with a smile on her lips.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot going on in this chapter, but I really wanted to portray Jaime as a moody rock star, LOL Also, don't worry about sissy at all. The incest will not be canon in this fic, it's just a nasty rumour and quite honestly Cersei won't be of much importance in this fic at all anyway.

It was 10am when Brienne woke up and she practically leapt out of the bunk she was sleeping on. Never had she slept that late, especially in a strange place. She honestly wasn’t expecting to sleep at all. She grabbed clean clothes and her toiletries and rushed to the bathroom. She had planned on being up, dressed and ready to start the day long before Jaime even thought about rolling out of bed. She really didn’t know how long he would sleep, but all that damn talking he did the night before had to be more exhausting than his entire concert. The man didn’t shut up - until she told him to shut up so she could go to bed. 

Brienne looked around the luxurious bathroom. It was quite ridiculous how nice it was for a freaking tour bus. But then again, Jaime was insanely wealthy and when he was on tour this was his home for weeks at a time. Made sense he had the most state of the art facilities that money could buy. She turned on the shower and stripped off her clothes then stepped in. 

The door was glass but had frosted patches so only a person’s head and feet could actually be see through the glass. She closed her eyes and put her face in the warm water. The pressure was even really good and it felt just like showering at home. She had just started to shampoo her hair when her senses detected that something was different. She opened one eye to peek and quickly shut it again. “Jaime, what the fuck?” She yelled. “What are you doing in here? Get out.” 

“What does it look like?” He replied. That made her open her eyes and check, which immediately made her wish she hadn’t. He was standing nude in front of the toilet but it wasn’t a normal male peeing stance, he was kinda dancing around, leaning forward, squatting and looking all sorts of awkward. 

“Well if you’re trying to take a piss you’re making it look really difficult,” she grumbled. “Just hurry up and get the fuck out.” 

“You try pissing with a hard on,” He shot back. Brienne’s face went red and she turned in the other direction. Why the hell did he have a boner? Oh my god, he’s got a boner… right now… in the same room… and we’re both naked… Brienne’s mind was freaking out big time. She decided to focus on washing her hair like a mofo, scrubbing like she had never scrubbed before. The desire to turn around and see what Jaime was up to was hard to resist, but she held strong until the shampoo was rinsed out. 

“Are you done yet?” she called out, hoping there was no answer because he’d already left. 

“No such luck,” Jaime replied. “I was trying to wait it out,” he said. “I figured thinking about you naked in the shower would make me limp in seconds… turns out it just got worse.” Brienne was pretty sure her face was the color of a freshly boiled lobster. “I guess the fact you’ve got tits and a vagina is enough for my overactive imagination, even if you do look like a man.” Why did I take this job? Why, oh why? Brienne was sure that was a question that was going to come up over and over again in her mind. Her curiosity got the best of her and she turned to see what the hell he was doing just in time to watch him look at himself in the mirror, mutter something about ‘taking care’ of things and scamper out of the bathroom, leaving her alone again. 

Brienne was pretty sure she knew what was going on in his bunk or wherever Jaime went to look after his ‘problem’ and it made the red blush spread to her entire body. It didn’t help that she’d caught a glimpse of him, fully aroused, and she couldn’t get the vision out of her mind. It was the first time she’d seen a man… like that… Her heart was pounding and she felt a bit dizzy and strange. Brienne reached for the tap and slowly started to turn off the hot water side until she was showering in freezing cold water. It was certainly a good distraction and it helped take away the dizziness. She finished up quickly and got out. The first thing she did after wrapping in a towel was lock the door, all the while wondering how she could have forgot to do that in the first place. 

When she was all ready, including brushing her teeth and hair Brienne sucked in a deep breath and opened the door. Please God let him be dressed, she thought. She was barely out the door when Jaime flew by her in a pair of jogging pants into the bathroom. “It’s about time,” he grumbled, slamming the door behind him. 

When Brienne walked out into the main area she noticed Bronn was sitting on the couch. “Hey, did you sleep well?” he asked when he saw her. 

“I did, thanks,” she replied politely. “Is everything okay?” She could see a look of concern on Bronn’s face and he was holding a little piece of paper in his hand. 

“We got another note with a bouquet of roses that was left on the stage last night,” he said with a sigh. 

“The stalker again? She was at the show last night?” Brienne felt chills go up her spine. This insane woman was attending Jaime’s concerts all over the country and she’d been right under their noses last night. “Wait… was there any video? Did anyone get a shot of her with the roses?” She had noticed there was a crew doing some filming during the show. 

Bronn shook his head as she moved closer. “The film crew wrapped up before the encores and the flowers must have showed up with other stuff that was thrown on stage before the lights came on after the final song. 

“Fuck,” Brienne muttered. He handed her the little card and she read it - _See you in Paradise City. XOXO ~ V._ “And there’s no chance this isn’t her? That it’s not just from another fan? And where is Paradise City? When do we stop there? We need to be ready.”

“It’s definitely the same woman,” Bronn said. “Distinct handwriting. And she always signs with XOXO ~ V.” She handed the card back. “As for Paradise City… your guess is as good as mine. She could be referring to a stop on the tour… but Jaime’s been covering that song too, so maybe she’s planning something during that performance.” 

“Take it off the set list,” Brienne said quickly. 

“I agree,” he said with a nod. “No sense in taking chances. Jaime’s not going to like having to add in a new song that they haven’t had much time to prepare, but it’s the safest bet.” 

“Aww Man, come on…” Jaime had come in and heard the end of the conversation. “I love that song, it’s one of my favourites.” 

“Pick a new favourite,” Brienne replied, crossing her arms. 

Jaime glared at her. “I’m not letting some psycho chick with a lady boner for me ruin my set.” He crossed his arms, mirroring her pose and the staring contest began as she glared back.

“No chicks are gonna have a lady boner for a dead man,” she shot back. “It’s just a song. There are thousands of others to choose from.” 

“Do you have any idea how long it took to plan and rehearse this tour?” he said, stepping towards her. “You change one thing and it affects everything. The song ends at a precise time so the roadies can switch guitars and the sound crew can prepare for the next song and the…” 

“I get it,” she interrupted. “But they’ll adjust and so will you.” He was treading on her ground now. If it had to do with his safety and keeping him alive - it was her call. 

“She’s right,” Bronn interrupted. “Why don’t we swap it out for something you covered last tour - or we could throw in another cut from the new album and just skip the cover.” Jaime was pouting, knowing he wasn’t going to win the battle and likely not too impressed that Bronn had backed her. 

“Pick a song,” he sneered at Brienne. 

She furrowed her brow, “Excuse me?” 

“You pick the song. Right now. And then you can tell the band what song we have to learn in the next 10 hours and have ready for tonight.” He was challenging her. “Come on, what’s it gonna be?” he pressed. 

“Can I have 5 seconds to think?” she snapped. Brienne was drawing a blank, but she would be damned if he wouldn’t get to her. She noticed Bronn now had his arms crossed as well, but he had a smirk of amusement on his face. He was taking out a Guns N Roses cover so maybe another GNR song… but which one? She snapped her fingers. “You Ain’t the First. It’s short, simple lyric, same band… and you can throw in a guitar solo in the middle to show off your stuff.. Maybe a little GNR montage with a bit of November Rain, Sweet Child O’mine, and Don’t Cry.” Bronn was nodding before she even finished. “You do know all of those right?” She asked. Brienne knew Jaime would definitely know all of them but she enjoyed poking at him a bit. 

“Of course I do,” Jaime grumbled. “I suppose that idea will work for now.” Brienne could tell he actually did like her idea but was refusing to give her the satisfaction of letting her know that. “Is that all for now?” he asked Bronn. “Because apparently I need to start working on a song for tonight.” 

“There’s one more thing,” Bronn said. “Grammy’s are next weekend.” 

“Fuck,” Jaime hissed. “I haven’t even asked Cersei if she wants to go…” 

“Oh hell no,” Bronn jumped in. “That is not happening again.” Brienne had no idea what they were talking about at first, but as they talked more she started to figure it all out. “It took 6 months for Dany to deal with that PR nightmare.” Brienne knew that Dany was the name of Jaime’s publicist - a petite blonde woman who looked like a little angel but was absolutely fierce. “I still hear people whispering that you’re fucking your sister.” 

“That was the biggest pile of horseshit ever,” Jaime said, rolling his eyes. “She’s my twin. She’s my goddam sister. That’s disgusting.” Brienne honestly had no idea how the rumour got started, but she guessed it had something to do with competitors in the business wanting to knock Jaime and Kingslayer off the top. “You know it was that fucker Euron Greyjoy’s people that started that shit.” That made sense. Jaime and Euron had a very public feud that had been going on for years. “He wants Cersei for himself and she wants nothing to do with him - so he lashed out, tried to ruin us both.” 

“You may be right, but damned if we’re going to let it happen again. Your lovely sister will be pissed, but if she wants to go to the Grammy’s this year she’s going to have to find herself a real date,” Bronn said. Brienne didn’t miss the way he said ‘lovely sister’ and it was clear he wasn’t a fan of Cersei Lannister. But in all honesty - few were. 

“It’s pretty late to find a date now,” Jaime sighed. “I guess I’m going alone. Or I could ask Tyrion - or do you think that will start rumours that I’m gay and fucking my brother?” he asked, rolling his eyes. 

“You already have a date,” Bronn replied, his gaze shifting to Brienne. She turned to look behind her and see if there was a photo or something on the wall that he was actually looking at, but there was nothing there. Bronn was still looking at her. He didn’t mean…

“Oh fuck that,” Jaime spat. “She is not going to be my date for the Grammy awards.” 

“Yes. She is,” Bronn replied. 

“Wait, what?” Brienne jumped in. “I… this… uh…” She was stammering. The Grammy Awards? What the actual fuck? 

There was a rap on the door. “Oh perfect timing,” he said, opening it to let in a tiny woman with a tape measure. “Maria is going to get your measurements to send off to a few designers and see who can have a gown ready for you by Saturday.” 

Brienne was in shock. And Jaime had already sunk into a chair and was scowling harder than ever. The woman went right to work and started wrapping a measuring tape around various parts of her body. “Bronn… can’t I just follow keep eyes on him for the night from the sidelines?” She had at least clued into what was really happening. Jaime needed a bodyguard, which just happened to be her job. 

“That’s the best idea you’ve had yet,” Jaime piped up. 

“Nope. We are trying to keep this stalker thing on the DL. Shit like this gets out and it puts ideas in people’s minds and things will start happening that make it even more difficult to find the right woman.” Brienne knew that Bronn was right. Other people would start copycatting and it would become a nightmare. Brienne lifted her arms and sighed as the woman took a measurement around her bust. 

There really wasn’t anything more to say. It was going to be miserable for them both but it was part of the job and she couldn’t say no. “What size shoes do you wear, ma’am?” The woman asked her. “We’ll need to find a pair of heels to go with your gown.” 

“11, but I don’t do heels,” Brienne replied quickly. 

“We’ll keep them low,” the woman said, smiling at her. 

“She said she doesn’t do heels,” Jaime snapped, standing up. Brienne was surprised that he was defending her. “Get her a pair of flats,” he glanced over at her. “Don’t want her looking taller than me.” With that he stormed off to the back. 

Brienne rolled her eyes as Bronn and the woman left. She flopped onto the couch and looked towards where Jaime had stomped off to. “I already am taller than you,” she muttered. He reappeared just as she spoke but ignored what she said. He’d put on a hoodie with the jogging pants and a pair of running shoes. 

“I’m going for a jog,” he announced. “Think you and those big ol’ giraffe legs can keep up?”


	4. Chapter 4

“What the hell happened to you?” A voice said as Brienne helped Jaime onto his bus. She looked up to see Jaime’s little brother Tyrion sitting on the couch. He was the smallest man with the biggest personality Brienne had ever known. Well, she didn’t really know him, but she knew of him. The Lannisters were all well known in the entertainment world, Jaime for his talent of course, the rest because they were rich. 

“My big ol’ giraffe legs worked a lot better than he expected,” Brienne muttered. Jaime glared at her and she fought off a laugh. He really thought he was going to leave her in the dust, panting after him or pulling up with a leg cramp - but it turned out that Jaime was the one who struggled to keep up and she really had pushed him, setting a pace that was even faster than her usual quick pace. She’d always been a good runner, especially lately after training for a couple of marathons the year before. 

“The sidewalk was uneven,” Jaime said as she dropped him into a chair and went to look for some ice. He’d tripped and rolled his ankle so Brienne had to practically carry him the three quarters of a mile back to the bus. 

When she returned with an ice pack from the freezer she saw Tyrion looking skeptical. “You’re not usually the clumsy type,” he commented. “Were you tired and stumbled?” 

“Yeah, were you tired?” Brienne piped up, looking smug. 

“I was not tired,” Jaime insisted, wincing as he moved to put the ice on his ankle. “There was a rut or something.” Brienne thought back and she knew the sidewalk was perfectly clear, but she didn’t push anymore. 

“Well listen,” Tyrion said, hopping down off the couch. “I have a sexy little brunette that I’d like to impress with front row tickets to a Kingslayer concert. Can you hook me up?” 

Jaime turned his glare to Tyrion. “There might not even be a concert,” he snarled. 

“Oh stop being so dramatic,” Tyrion said, rolling his eyes. “You would have to be half dead and hooked up to machines to cancel a show. You’ll rest up, take a shit ton of pain killers, wrap that ankle good and put on a fucking amazing concert like you always do.” He wandered over and looked at Jaime’s ankle. “It’s barely even swollen,” he muttered, giving Jaime a look of suspicion. “She was kicking your ass… so when you stumbled a bit you played it up for an excuse,” Tyrion accused him. 

 

“Did not,” he replied, sounding like a child. 

Tyrion rolled his eyes. “Don’t forget to tell Bronn to get me those seats for tonight,” he said to Jaime. Then he turned to Brienne, “Good luck.” He extended a hand, “Tyrion,” he introduced himself, as if she didn’t already know. 

“Brienne,” she replied, reaching down to shake his hand. “I’ll tell Bronn for you,” she offered, suspecting Jaime would be way too focussed on his sore ankle and learning a new song. 

“I appreciate that,” Tyrion replied with a full smile. “See you both later.” 

“He seems nice,” Brienne commented, once Tyrion had left. 

“Someone in the family had to turn out somewhat normal, of course it would be the dwarf,” Jaime joked. But Brienne could tell that he had true affection for his little brother. 

“Can I get you anything?” She asked, feeling a little bad that he was in pain, even if it was all due to his macho male pride. 

“Yeah, my guitar,” Jaime said. “It’s in the case on the top bunk in my room.” Brienne nodded and walked to the back of the bus. She thought it was weird that he would have bunk beds but when she saw the set up it made sense. He had a full sized bed and the “bunk” was a storage area to make better use of space. She opened the case and pulled out his acoustic guitar. The urge to play it was overwhelming but she’d already pissed him off once doing that so she quickly made her way back to the front and handed it to him. 

There were picks laying all over the place, including a few on the coffee table. Jaime picked one up and then quickly tuned his guitar by ear. It had a beautiful sound and he looked really good holding it. He didn’t use an acoustic much in his set but it was much more suited to the cover he was doing but they would switch off during the guitar riff she suggested of course. 

Brienne sat down and listened to him fiddle around a bit trying to figure out the right chords. He hummed a bit and then strummed the intro. “1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. 1… I’ve tried so hard just to get through to you…” he sang. It sounded really good but Jaime stopped singing and scowled. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked, wondering if she should interrupt or just sit there quietly. 

“Something isn’t right,” he muttered. “There’s another guitar in my closet. Go get and play with me,” he said. It wasn’t really a question but more of a command. She didn’t mind though because her heart was pounding with excitement at the idea of jamming with him for a bit. She quickly found the guitar, took it out of the case and rejoined him. “Need me to tune it?” He offered. 

“Nope, I’m good,” Brienne replied. It didn’t need much but she fiddled a bit until it sounded perfect. “What do you want me to do?” 

“Play with me… and can you sing?” He asked. Brienne shrugged and nodded. She couldn’t sing like him, but she could hold her own. “Harmony?” She nodded again. “Good, come in on the harmony parts - you know them right?” Brienne gave him a look. He knew she was very familiar with the song. 

It started off a bit shaky and he made them restart 4 times, even though the third and fourth attempts didn’t seem all that bad to her. The fifth time they made it halfway through the song before he cut them off. Jaime reached for a notepad and started scribbling things down, while muttering away to himself. “Can you come in just a bit sooner… like at ‘sing you along’ instead of ‘sing you this song’ maybe?” 

“Sure,” she replied eagerly. Brienne was having the time of her life. It felt so good to be making music again, even if she was just helping him out for a moment. They made a few more attempts and he kept stopping them at random spots to scribble more and give more directions. She had to admit - this side of him was impressive and admirable. His commitment to making the song perfect and comfortable was surprising, given the way he didn’t seem to give two shits about anything else and always seemed to find everything amusing. His music was different though. The passion came from within and just poured out of him when he sang, and even more so when he played. 

They finally made it through the entire song for the first time and Brienne felt excited. It wouldn’t be her playing it or singing with him, but when she heard it performed she could take a little personal satisfaction in the fact that she had played a small role. He was scribbling furiously again, staring intently at the paper in front of him. He was leaning over his guitar and his hair had fallen forward into his eyes. Brienne was struck once again with just how beautiful he was. Jaime wasn’t wearing his full on stage costume that made him look like the rock star he was, he was still in sweats from the jog and had the ice pack on his ankle, but his face - so focused and determined - it was mesmerizing. “Bri? Bri? Brienne.” 

“Hmm?” She finally snapped out of it and realized he was talking to her. 

Jaime gave he an annoyed look, which she took to mean that he was displeased she wasn’t completely focused like he was. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him that his gorgeous face had been her distraction. “I’m gonna put in a bit of that riff montage you suggested. It won’t be great since it’ll be acoustic, but I just want to get an idea of how it’ll work. Then maybe we can run through it one more time. After that I’ll get the guys together and get on the stage early to work on it some more.” 

“What about your ankle?” She didn’t want to bring it up since he seemed to have forgotten about the pain. 

“I’ll take a couple pain killers before we rehearse and a couple more before the show. If I wrap it good… should be fine,” he shrugged. 

“Just don’t overdo it,” she said. 

“Oh now you’re worried about me overdoing it hmm?” He gave her a look. Brienne just gave him a little smile and he let it go. He started into the song and when he got to the riff Brienne stopped playing and watched in amazement. His hands were so fast, it was unbelievable. She had always known he was really good, but seeing him up close like this… Brienne wondered if he might actually be the best guitar player in the world. He’ll be a legend one day, she decided. 

“You need to do it just like that,” Brienne said as soon as he stopped. “Stripped down and acoustic. Bring out a couple band members and sit on stools… not only will it be incredible, but you can rest the ankle a bit too.” 

Jaime looked sceptical. “Fans don’t really come to see me sit on a stool with an acoustic.” 

Brienne shook her head. “No, they don’t. But once they see that performance I guarantee you it’s one they’ll never forget.” It was so different from his usual stuff. 

He set his guitar down and leaned back. “You know your stuff,” Jaime said, eying her. “You’ve been around this kind of thing before…” Brienne felt her heart start to pound. He was getting a little too close to a time in her life she wanted to forget. “The way you look when you play… your eyes… they’re so full of passion… they’re astonishing…” Brienne felt her cheeks get warm at the compliment. At least he wasn’t calling her ugly anymore. For a moment at least. Jaime leaned forward, “Tell me why you quit?” 

Brienne shook her head. “I don’t talk about it.” 

“Come on,” he persisted. “Tell me your secret and I’ll tell you one of mine.” 

“I hardly think any of your secrets would interest me,” She scoffed. 

“I have horrible stage fright. I puke before every show, even now after all these years,” he admitted. Brienne was stunned. He seemed so comfortable up there. It wasn’t enough to make her spill her secret though. “Not good enough?” He said. “Hmm… I haven’t had sex in close to a year,” he said. 

Brienne choked on the sip of water she had just taken. “Yeah right,” she said, as she wiped the water off her shirt and wondered why on earth he was telling her about his sex life. 

“I’m serious. Tyrion is the real man whore in the family, even if my reputation seems to suggest otherwise,” Jaime replied. “People assume because I’m a rock star and I’m single that I get laid whenever I want by whoever I want… I could do that… but I don’t.” 

“Why not?” Brienne blurted out. If it was really true she wanted to know why. 

Jaime shrugged. “Guess I’m a one woman kind of man… and the right one hasn’t come along yet.” 

Brienne studied him for a moment. He was still an arrogant ass that she wanted to strangle most of the time, but the combination of them working on the song together and him actually sharing something personal had weakened her defenses. “I’ll make you a deal,” she said. “When we catch your stalker I’ll tell you why I quit playing.” He looked far too enthusiastic about the offer, but all she could hope was that he would forget by that time anyway.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys! I was away last weekend at Walker Stalker Con in Atlanta and it's taken some time to get organized again:) Just a note - if you want a visual of the dress I based the description off of google Mila Kunitz Oscar Dress. That's basically what I'm describing for Brienne except more blue than lavender :)

Brienne was given a few hours off while Jaime and the band went through rehearsing the new song and then into sound check. She could have left the arena and explored a bit of the city. This was their second night in Boston and she’d never been there before. But for some reason she instead found herself off in the wings, hidden from view… watching Jaime and the rest of Kingslayer work. 

There was a young guitarist name Podrick that she found particularly amusing. He had talent, but his skills really needed to be honed. Jaime picked on him - really, really picked on him. It was obvious he was only trying to make him better, but she wasn’t sure Podrick saw that… especially when he looked ready to break his guitar over Jaime’s head at times. If he tried it Brienne would have to step in, but she knew it would never happen because 5 minutes later Pod would be looking at Jaime with heart eyes again. It actually seemed a bit like a brotherly relationship. Brienne spent a lot of time watching and studying them that afternoon and she saw a few things she knew would help Podrick immensely. Given the right opportunity she might bring them up. He didn’t seem the rockstar diva type some of the others did, so she was pretty sure he wouldn’t just brush her off. 

The drummer was another fascinating character. He was huge and actually kind of terrifying to look at. They referred to him as the Hound, but Brienne knew his real name was Sandor Clegane. For such a large man his hands were fast and he was an incredible drummer. Brienne was intrigued by the dynamics within the band. Clegane seemed to have a love-hate relationship with the bass player - a wild looking ginger named Tormund. She almost laughed out loud a couple of times listening to them jest. The keyboard player she couldn’t quite figure out… he seemed so serious all the time and they only referred to him as Grey Worm. Clearly he had a real name, but she’d never heard it. The only thing she knew for sure about him was that he was madly in love with Missy, a stunningly gorgeous backup vocalist that accompanied them on a couple of songs each night. 

“No. No. NO. Not like that… fuck Pod… we have to have this ready in a couple hours,” Jaime growled loudly, catching her attention. They were working on the new song, clearly. “Bri,” he yelled. “Get out here.” She froze. How the fuck did he know she was there? “I know you’re watching, get the fuck out here and show this numbnuts how to play the bridge before I fire his ass.” 

Brienne slowly slipped off the container she’d been sitting on and walked out from the wings. She hadn’t even met the band yet and she felt her cheeks flush. Playing with Jaime in private was one thing. Now he wanted her to play in front of a bunch of professional musicians? They were all watching her as she tentatively joined Jaime in the center of the stage. “Go on, take Pod’s guitar and play this part with me. Pay attention,” he snapped, glaring at Podrick. 

She walked over and gave him a deeply apologetic look as he handed her the guitar. Podrick scowled, but his anger seemed fully directed at Jaime. As she went to sit down she noticed the redhead was staring at her with a wide, goofy grin on his face. She quickly looked away, feeling uncomfortable… not really understanding why he was gazing at her like that. Brienne took a seat on Pod’s stool and strummed a bit to get comfortable. When she was ready she looked up at Jaime and nodded. He counted them in and they ran through the bridge. Brienne was really shy about singing, but the guitar felt amazing in her hands, just like when she’d played Jaime’s earlier. 

“See… see… that’s how I want it - just like that,” Jaime said passionately when they finished. Brienne could feel so many eyes on her and she wanted desperately to run. Why didn’t I go check out the city? She asked herself. 

“She fucking schooled you Pod,” Tormund piped up from somewhere behind her. “I’m a jealous, jealous man,” he added with a groan. What the fuck did that even mean? Brienne wondered, still facing forward silently. Whatever it meant… it seemed to catch Jaime’s attention. Brienne was feeling all kinds of awkward. 

“Guess who is taking Bri the beauty to the Grammy’s?” Jaime said, smirking at someone behind her, likely Tormund. He was making fun of her… but there was something more going on that she really didn’t understand. 

“Fuck off Lannister, you are not,” the Hound boomed. “She doesn’t look anything like your usual date… and you’re not related,” he added with a tone of amusement. Brienne felt like she was caught in the crossfires. She wondered if anyone would notice if she just crept out. 

“Well according to Bronn I don’t have a choice,” Jaime scoffed bitterly. He was obviously still angry that she had to be his date. It wasn’t as if she wanted to go with him either, especially wearing some god awful dress and fancy shoes. 

“How about you stay home this year and I’ll take your ticket… and your date,” Tormund said. 

Jaime grinned. “I don’t think so. Besides, I’m sure Bri is very excited to attend the Grammy’s with yours truly,” he said gallantly, giving her a grin. 

“I would rather lick a farmer’s rubber boots,” she replied, scowling at him. “Can I go now?” Brienne stood up and handed Podrick back his guitar. She was trying to maintain her integrity by not sprinting away. 

Jaime walked in her direction and nodded. But before she made her escape he leaned in and pecked her cheek. “Thanks for the help.” Brienne made a beeline for the safety of the wings, feeling her face burning the entire way. Whatever they were saying behind her she couldn’t hear from the buzzing in her ears. What just happened? Why had he kissed her cheek? He was her damn boss. When she was alone in the dark she gasped for air. Apparently she’d been holding her breath the whole time. 

Brienne needed fresh air. She went outside and started walking. Her mind was racing and she needed to reign it in before it got out of control. Within 3 blocks she was much calmer. Jaime was trying to make the ginger jealous - that was all. He still hated the idea of taking her to the Grammy’s every bit as much as she hated going. But it was happening. They would wrap up that night in Boston and then fly out to LA to prepare for the Grammy’s Sunday night. 

She walked for a full hour, then stopped at a cute diner to get some food before she had to go back and start her shift for the night. By the time she was parked outside Jaime’s dressing room door she was feeling quite normal again. He was ignoring her as usual, with no one around to show off for, but he was also in rock star mode again. She wondered if he was in there throwing up in the final minutes before the show, or if he’d just totally made that up? 

They got the warning and once again, like clockwork, the night began. The new song went amazingly well and the audience loved it. She wasn’t expecting any sort of thank you from Jaime, or even an admission that he hadn’t planned the entire thing - so she almost fell over when he gave her a shout out at the end - without mentioning her name of course. It made her heart flutter in her chest and filled her with pride, even if it was only a select few that actually knew it was her he was referring to. 

Hours later, back on Jaime’s bus she realized after only two shows that the routine was going to be quite easy to follow. But as the bus pulled away from the lot and they started on a different journey she was feeling a bit anxious. Brienne much preferred an ordered schedule, but instead of sleeping on the bus that night they were catching a few hours on Jaime’s private jet on the way to LA. 

The next 10 hours were an absolute blur of exhaustion. When she woke around noon in a hotel bed Brienne barely remembered getting there. But somehow she did and her bags were sitting there waiting. Brienne picked up her phone at it said 9am… she’d completely forgot about the 3 hour time change. With a smile, she rolled over and went back to sleep for another hour. 

At 11am she rapped on the door adjoining Jaime’s room and pushed it open. Fuck, he’s in the shower, she realized. She really didn’t want to see his junk again - or maybe she did want to see him naked, more than she should. Brienne heard a knock and realized it was actually coming from her room. She rushed back over and answered the door. It was a young, pretty redhead named Sansa who was apparently her ‘stylist’. “Hey, Bronn said to tell you to take the rest of the day off to get ready. The limo will be picking you and Jaime up around 3pm so you can start your shift then.” 

“Uh, okay…” she mumbled. “How long does it take to get ready?” They had 4 hours and she was already showered. Sansa was giving her an amused look. “What? Seriously… I have to get dressed and put on some make up… how long can that possibly take?” 

Now Sansa was giggling as she set down all the things she was carrying. “We have to try on the dress first. The seamstress will be here soon to see if you need alterations but it’s pretty rare for a custom made Couture to not fit perfectly.” Couture? Seriously? Custom made in a day? How much was that setting Jaime back, she wondered. “After we make sure the dress fits you’ll have your hair done - that can take some time, especially if he needs to trim or add some colour. We’ll take a quick break for lunch after that and then make up will be here. By the time all of that is done you’ll put on your dress, admire your sexy self in the mirror and then - you take everyone’s breath away.” Was she teasing her too? The young woman looked genuine, but Brienne knew she wasn’t the type of girl who takes anyone’s breath away unless she punched them in the stomach. 

Brienne still couldn’t understand how that could all take 4 hours, but she went with it. As promised there was a knock only moments later and the seamstress arrived with her dress. Brienne eyed the garment bag wondering what kind of god awful thing was hiding in there. When the bag was unzipped and she saw the dress she gasped. “I can’t wear that,” Brienne breathed, walking over to touch the materiel. It was soft and silky… a light blue that she knew would perfectly match her eyes. It was absolutely gorgeous - one of the most beautiful dresses she had ever seen. But it wasn’t something a girl like her wore - it was a Nicole Kidman kind of dress. 

“Try it on,” Sansa said with a smile. 

With shaking hands Brienne took the hanger and looked at the dress again. It looked like it was made for a princess. The ladies started undressing her and Brienne was too much in awe to care. “You’ll have to switch your panties to this,” the seamstress said, handing her a blue g-string that perfectly matched the dress. “It’s pretty sheer in places.” Brienne took it with a blush and turned her back to them to quickly change. Not that it really mattered since her ass was hanging out completely. The ladies helped her into the dress and Brienne felt her heart racing. It fit perfectly in every place. The straps sat nicely on her shoulders and the built in support held her breasts exactly in the right spot…Though there was far too much of her boobs exposed for Brienne’s liking. The material was so soft on her skin where it clung to her body and then flowed down her long legs to the floor. It almost felt like she was wearing nothing. 

“Oh…” she said, glancing down. “It’s see thru in places…” Brienne looked up at them, blushing bright red. 

“Don’t worry,” Sansa assured her. “All the places that need to be covered are covered.” She stood back and looked at her. “You look hot,” she exclaimed. “Jaime Lannister is one lucky man. You’re gonna kill him in that dress.” Brienne blushed yet again, but she couldn’t help but smile at the irony of Sansa’s statement - she was going to kill him… no, that was exactly what she would be trying to prevent.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little fun and flirty one to set up the big night :) Hope you enjoy!! PS - Bonus points if you know what I'm talking about when I say - Go GSP!!! (It's a big night in Canadian sports, LOL)

It was 245pm. Brienne couldn’t believe that it really had taken them all that time to get her ready. In 15 minutes the limo would meet her and Jaime at the front of the hotel and they would be off to the freaking Grammy Awards. Sansa was beaming at her. The hairdresser was long gone, as was the makeup artist. The seamstress hadn’t needed to make any alterations so she was also gone. “Go look in the mirror,” Sansa breathed, looking really excited. 

Brienne was nervous. She felt so strange in a dress. At least the shoes were flats as she’d requested. She had a notion to ask for heels after all, just to annoy Jaime by being taller than him, but she had no idea how to walk in them, let alone try to chase after a crazy stalker if it came to that. Running in the dress and slip on flats would be bad enough. 

She slowly crept towards the full length mirror on the wall near the bathroom. It had taken several hours but she was finally used to the damn g-string and barely noticed it. But she would never get used to half her breasts hanging out the top of the dress. She’d begged for a shawl or something to cover up, but they all just laughed at her and told her she was being silly. 

As she took the last step to the mirror Brienne closed her eyes. When she opened them she was staring at a stunning blonde woman. She looked away and looked back and then lifted her arm, watching the reflection mirror what she was doing. “What do you think?” Sansa asked, sounding like she was ready to bust. Brienne couldn’t believe how different she could look with a little make up, her hair fixed nicely and a gorgeous dress. She’d never wanted to look like a movie star or a celebrity of any kind. She’d learned to be just fine with the way she looked and dressed. But this woman staring back at her was… well… breathtaking. Just like Sansa had said she would be. 

“My hair is curly,” she whispered, touching a springy lock. It was a ridiculous response, but she was still in shock. The stylist had added some highlights and lowlights to her hair and it looked incredible. 

“You’re gonna be like a modern day Cinderella,” Sansa laughed. “The photographers will have no idea who you are, but they will be taking pictures of you. Move over Beyonce,” she joked. 

“Yeah right,” Brienne said, laughing nervously. What if she was right though? What if they did try to take pictures of her on the red carpet? She hated be in photos and now she had no choice. 

Sansa looked at her with a more serious expression. “You realize you’re going to the Grammy’s with the biggest rock star on the planet, right?” Brienne sucked in air and nodded. “You’re going to be the buzz of the night.” 

“Fuck,” she muttered. She didn’t want that kind of attention, or any attention. Why hadn’t she just insisted on an ugly pant suit? Could she back out? Brienne sighed, she knew that wasn’t possible. She had to be there to make sure Jaime was safe. It was work, not a social call. As soon as they caught the real stalker Jaime’s PR team could reveal the truth and she could go back to a much simpler life with a lot of extra cash. Might as well make the best of it, she decided. “Oh hey… what about my gun?” 

Sansa shook her head. “You won’t be able to get it through the Grammy’s security team, but we do have an ear piece for you to wear in case you need to communicate with Gregor or any of the other guys. If you see anything suspicious just contact them and they will alert venue security. It’s all going to work out fine.” Sansa had the tiny earpiece and helped her get it situated. “Turn it on when you arrive at the venue,” she instructed. 

There was a knock on the adjoining door. “You ready or what?” Jaime yelled, sounding grumpy. 

Sansa came over and gave her a quick hug. “That’s my cue to take off,” she said. “Have fun tonight. I know you’re working, but it’s okay to enjoy it.” With a pretty smile she quickly left the room so Brienne was alone. 

“Hey, you read…” Jaime poked his head in, clearly too impatient to wait for her to answer. “Oh… you… uh… you look…” He was stammering like a nervous teenager all of a sudden. “You uh, look… ready,” he finished, staring at her with wide eyes. 

He looked amazing in his tux with his hair slicked back. It really showed off his eyes and his marvelous cheekbones. Brienne felt her heartrate pick up. Almost every woman in the world would have given anything to be in her shoes right then. The way Jaime was looking at her was… well… flattering, even to a girl like her who people didn’t look at like that - ever. “I am…” she said softly. “Ready.” 

They both stood there for a moment, looking at each other awkwardly. It was like they were off to the prom or something and their parents were watching their every move… yet they were alone. “We should get to the limo,” Jaime said finally, breaking the silence. Brienne nodded and started to walk towards the door. 

They didn’t even get out into the hall before the shock wore off and the real Jaime returned. “You clean up pretty good,” he said, following her. Brienne looked back over her shoulder and could see him checking out her ass. “Are you wearing underwear?” he asked. Brienne shot him a look, but then turned forward quickly to hide the blush. “I don’t think you are… I can see right through there… I can practically see your ass and there are no panty lines…” 

“Would you fuck off?” she hissed. “I’m wearing a thong, okay?” 

Jaime was grinning. “What color is it?” he asked as he pushed the elevator button. 

“That’s a question you’ll never know the answer to,” she said saucily, poking at the button again as if it might make the elevator come faster. 

“Are you certain?” he asked, moving closer and slipping an arm around her waist from behind. 

“What are you doing?” Brienne snapped, jerking away from him. 

“Would you relax,” he groaned. “You’re my date tonight, not my bodyguard… as far as the rest of the world will know… you need to act like my date - not like you hate me.” Brienne sighed. “You know women generally gaze longingly at me… you should try it, ya know, so we can look authentic and all.” 

Brienne rolled her eyes at his ego. “Can’t we say I’m your lesbian friend from… a remote town in Iceland and I don’t speak any english?” 

“We could,” he started. “But this will be so much more fun,” Jaime finished with a delighted grin. Fun for who? She thought bitterly. The elevator doors opened and they got on. They were on the top floor so it was a long ride down to ground level. “Come on Bri,” he said, backing her into a corner. “Just try it, hmm?” Try what? And why the hell is he so close to me? She wondered. Brienne held her breath. Jaime was practically pressed against her. “Look at me,” he whispered. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “Not like that,” he chuckled, touching her arm and trailing his fingers up her bare skin. “Like you don’t think I’m a complete dick.” 

“But I do,” she muttered. He chuckled again and the sound made her feel a bit strange inside, like a bit of a flutter. 

“Pretend Bri, just for tonight,” Jaime said softly. He leaned even closer to her and dipped his head. She wanted to shove him away. He was making her feel things. He was making her freak out in her head. “You saw me naked… didn’t that turn you on? Admit it,” he breathed, hovering so close to her mouth she could smell his minty breath. He drew back slightly and bit his lip, staring at her mouth. Brienne felt like she couldn’t breathe. He was totally playing her and she knew it, yet still… he was so damn sexy… and his cologne… oh God… he smelled amazing. “Yes,” he said suddenly, stepping back from her. “Just like that,” Jaime pointed at her eyes. “That’s the look. I knew you could do it.” 

Brienne immediately scowled again. “Don’t get used to it - that was my best acting and I don’t know how long I can keep it up,” she lied. Thankfully the elevator stopped and the doors opened at exactly the right moment. 

“It’s amazing how you do that?” Jaime commented as they stepped off the elevator. 

Did she even want to know? Probably not, but she asked anyway, “How I do what?” 

“How you can look like a smoking hot viking model,” he groaned, checking her out from head to toe, shamelessly. “But still somehow walk like a man.” There was so much to dissect about his entire statement… smoking hot…viking… model… walks like a man… But instead she fixated on smoking hot, giggled like a little girl and turned away from him with a smile, walking “just like a man” right to their waiting limo. It was going to be an interesting evening, that was for sure… a very interesting evening.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG! Thank you all sooooooo much for all the reviews on the last chapter!! You blew me away!!! I wish I had time to respond to each of you and tell you how you made my day and evening yesterday because you truly did! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was so touched I wanted to finish another chapter so I could tell you tonight how excited I was! And thankfully between prepping for a job interview I have coming up and my anniversary dinner I was able to finish this. You all are incredible! Thank you so much for reading and enjoying this fic!!

“You’ve never been in a limo before,” Jaime said, his tone filled with amusement. 

“I have,” Brienne shot back. “Just not in the back part…” She added quietly. It was amazing and huge. There was practically a full service bar, with champagne on ice and snacks as well. The seats were so comfortable - well they would have been if she didn’t have to sit with her legs squeezed together in the tight dress. 

“Champagne?” Jaime asked, as he grabbed the bottle that had already been uncorked and poured some in a glass. 

She gave him a look. “I’m working. I can’t drink.” 

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Brienne watched him down the entire glass with nervous butterflies. What if he got really, really drunk later? How would she possibly make him behave when it was a nearly impossible task when he was sober? Ah well, if it got too bad she could just call Bronn or Dany and they would deal with him. The last thing they needed was another Grammy PR nightmare. 

She looked around some more, noticed with relief that Jaime had set down the glass and didn’t appear to be refilling it, and then took a peek out the window. Traffic was awful, so it made sense they had left almost an hour before the red carpet was supposed to begin. California was beautiful though, when you looked past the cars and hustle and bustle of course. There were several other limos in view, likely headed to the same place they were. She wondered who was behind the tinted windows, just like people on the street were likely wondering about her limo. 

“Is there anyone you want to meet?” Jaime asked her. He was looking at her leg that had started to peek out through a slit up the side and she quickly covered it up. 

“I’m not here to meet people,” Brienne sighed. 

“Oh come on,” Jaime groaned. “I know you’re all super serious about your job, but this is the Grammy’s and you’re my date…” 

“Yes, you keep reminding me of that, don’t you?” she grumbled. 

“Oh stop,” Jaime said, sliding closer to her. “Why won’t you admit that you love the idea of spending the evening on my arm?” 

“Because it’s not true,” Brienne insisted. Okay, maybe the idea wasn’t all that bad… except for the attention. That was the one thing she didn’t want and the one thing she wouldn’t be able to avoid. “I don’t want everyone looking at me and even though they’ll all be looking at you… I’m kinda hard to miss in their peripheral vision,” she finished with a pout. 

Jaime’s eyes trailed down her body. “I’m sorry to tell you this… but I don’t think they’ll be looking at me tonight at all.” Her stomach flip flopped at his admission. It was even worse coming from someone as arrogant as him. If Jaime Lannister was admitting that people would be looking at her rather than him… she was completely fucked. Brienne looked down at the mounds of flesh popping out the top of her dress and wanted to cry. She was so used to being ignored for just about everything but her height. Once they got over that she could just blend in and go about her day. The damn dress she was wearing was not meant for blending in at all. “Hey I think we’re here,” Jaime announced as the car came to a complete stop. He looked excited, but Brienne was ready to vomit. The door was pulled open and Jaime got out. 

She scooted towards the door but when she was about to stick a leg out she froze. She couldn’t move. Her heart was beating so fast and her entire body felt like it was on fire… it was getting hard to breath and she started to gasp. “Hey, you coming?” Jaime poked his head in to look at her. “Oh my God… Bri… are you okay?” She shook her head. “What’s happening? What’s wrong?” 

Somehow she found her voice. “I’m scared,” she admitted, hating how weak and childish she sounded. “I’m really nervous and I just… I can’t get out. I can’t do this. I can’t.” 

Jaime dropped to a crouch in front of her and took her hands. “Take a deep breath and look at me,” he said calmly. “I know what it’s like to be nervous,” he added and she thought about his admission about throwing up before each show. “There you go,” he said as she took several deep breaths and started to calm down. “Once you get past the initial insanity you’ll be just fine, I promise. I know you take your job seriously and you’ll start to focus on that instead and everything will be okay,” he continued. His voice was so soothing… and wise. It was surprising. “I also know you think I’m a complete asshole… but if you get scared or nervous… just take my hand - sorry for your luck, but I’m all you’ve got.” 

Brienne swallowed back the lump in her throat. She would not and could not cry right then. She was truly overwhelmed both by the full on panic attack she’d narrowly avoided and by Jaime’s kindness. “Thank you,” she said, genuinely. “I’m okay now… let’s do this.” 

As soon as she stepped out beside him there was a blinding number of flashes going off in every direction. People were screaming his name - like literally screaming, blood curdling screams. As if it was completely natural Jaime reached for her hand and started towards the beginning of their long journey down the red carpet. 

They didn’t get far before a man stopped Jaime and they made pleasantries. Brienne didn’t recognize him, but he seemed like he was probably important. She was having a really hard time focusing though because she caught a glimpse of Adele off to her right, Rihanna right in front of them and Carrie Underwood just getting out of a limo. “And who is this lovely creature with you?” she heard. 

Recognizing it was her cue, Brienne extended her hand, “Katla. Gaman að hitta þig.” 

Then man gave Jaime a confused look and Jaime gave her the same look and then started to scramble. “Oh, um… yeah… she’s from... Iceland, she doesn’t speak much english…” His voice trailed off and he gave her a private glare. “What the fuck did you just say?” he asked, when they were alone again. 

“I’m hoping it was ‘Nice to meet you’ but it’s been a while…” Brienne gave him a sheepish grin. 

Jaime narrowed his eyes but didn’t bother to ask how she knew how to speak Icelandic. “Fine - you can be Katla from Iceland… but you’re not a lesbian.” 

“We’ll see about that,” Brienne whispered, earning her another glare. She was starting to relax already because the thought of teasing Jaime all night was exciting. But little did she know… he could play the game every bit as well as her. 

When they got to the first stop for photos and posed in front of the photographers Jaime made certain that no one would mistake her for a lesbian… or anything but his date for the night. He pulled her in close, so they were practically snuggling. When he put his arm around her shoulder his hand dangled right over her breast, grazing her skin every once in awhile. The only good thing about what he was doing was that it distracted her from the flashes and people yelling because all she could think about was what he might do next. 

And Jaime didn’t disappoint. At the next checkpoint he held her like they were slow dancing and even touched his forehead to hers for a moment, all while flashing his sexiest smile. Brienne didn’t have any choice but to play along. It wasn’t like she could cause a scene in front of the photographers. He linked their fingers as they started to move away from the cameras. “What the fuck are you doing?” Brienne said, through her teeth and forced smile. 

Jaime waved at people who were calling his name and then leaned in. “Just making sure everyone knows that Katla is straight and smitten with me.” 

“Don’t make me plant one on Gwen Stefani,” Brienne threatened. 

Jaime laughed. “It might be worth completely blowing our cover to watch that,” he moaned. “Two hot blondes sucking face… You think Blake Shelton would mind?” Brienne only heard the start of what he’d said because something caught her eye. Adam fucking Levine. He was so damn sexy. Maybe not quite as sexy as Jaime, but probably much less of a dick. Her heart fluttered just a bit looking at him doing an interview with some TV station. “Hey.. hey… are you even listening to me?” she heard Jaime say. 

“Oh, yeah… of course I was,” she mumbled, still staring at Adam. 

“That’s the look dammit. Remember it. That’s how you’re supposed to be looking at me,” he said. She turned just in time to see him pout. “Adam Levine, huh? Like my biggest competition. That’s who you’ve got googly eyes over.” He grabbed her hand. “Come on, he’s done with the interview, I’ll introduce you.” 

“No,” Brienne said, tugging his hand and planting her feet. “Please… I can’t. I won’t even be able to talk to him.” 

“You don’t have to say anything, you don’t speak english remember?” Jaime scoffed. 

“Oh right… but still, please? Not tonight. Let’s just get this carpet thing over with okay?” It seemed silly, but Brienne had admired Adam for a long time and if she ever got the chance to meet him she wanted it to be as herself. 

Jaime didn’t push and they moved further along. He’d managed to avoid interviews until they were almost ready to go inside and ET caught up with them. Brienne stood off the the side so he could do his thing, but moments into the interview Jaime was pulling her into the camera view with him. “So this is the mystery woman who’s creating a buzz all over the red carpet,” the interviewer said to her. Brienne smiled politely, hoping it would all be over soon. “Come on you two? How about a little smooch for our viewers?” 

Before Brienne even had a chance to shake her head no Jaime was already moving in. He put a hand on her cheek and then touched his lips to hers. It wasn’t intrusive or passionate, just very tender and quick. But it was a kiss nonetheless. Jaime just kissed her on camera for one of the most popular entertainment shows in the country. Brienne was stunned. Her lips were tingling and it was like she could still feel his kiss. Thankfully Jaime was already excusing them and the next thing she knew he was leading them to their seats in the front row. “What just happened?” She said in a hushed whisper once they were seated. 

“Just giving the people what they want,” he said, shooting her a lopsided grin. 

“Fuck the people,” Brienne hissed. 

“Hey, at least they won’t be going on about me fucking my sister this year,” Jaime replied with a scowl. “Now make me a deal would you?” He was already changing the subject, she could tell. “Do your thing, keep me safe… but enjoy the night, please?” Brienne sighed. “You’ve got front row seats to the biggest night in music… oh and look - you’re sitting beside Nicole Kidman.” 

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Brienne muttered as she watched Nicole Kidman and her adorable husband Keith Urban making their way down the front row to their seats. 

Thankfully Jaime took over and she didn’t have to say anything other than a few nods and single words like ya and no. The rest of the night was surreal. She made sure to do frequent checks for anything out of the ordinary and every once in awhile she would get updates from the rest of the security team in her ear. But if there ever was a perfectly smooth evening it was that night. The show was long, but the performances were amazing. Jaime wasn’t nominated as his latest album wasn’t out in time to make the cut and he’d declined performing. That meant they spent the entire night side by side in the front row for the greatest concert ever. 

Jaime made commentary and snide remarks about some of the performances in her ear. He was actually really, really funny and he made her smile all night long. When the final performance ended and it was over Brienne was shocked and a little sad. Earlier she had been hoping it would be quick, but now she wanted to hear a few more performances. Jaime stood up and offered his hand, she was getting used to holding hands with him and she took it. “Where are we off to now?” she whispered, assuming he had a long list of after parties he would need to appear at. 

“My ankle is killing me,” he said, taking a step with a limp. “I texted the driver and the limo will be waiting to take us back to the hotel. 

“Oh… okay,” Brienne nodded, trying to hide her surprising disappointment. She didn’t want to go to the afterparties at all, but the idea of the night ending already was strangely upsetting. 

Once they were safely in the limo again, sitting in traffic Jaime spoke. “Well you did it. You survived and you were incredible… and hey, I’m still alive too.” 

“I’m sorry about your ankle,” Brienne said apologetically. 

“It’s fine. Just time for a couple more pills,” he shrugged. “Besides, I didn’t think you would want to go to a bunch of parties anyway.” 

“Not really,” she admitted. Wait… maybe he didn’t want to take her to those parties and the ankle was just an excuse. “But if you want to go to the hotel and trade me for Gregor then go to the parties it’s okay.” 

Jaime gave her a strange look. “Why on earth would I want to trade you for that big, ugly lug?” he asked. “He doesn’t have legs like that,” he said, pointing to where her entire leg was peeking out again. She didn’t bother to hide it this time. “And I bet his ass doesn’t look as good as yours in a thong. Come on, tell me what color it is??” Brienne felt her heart skip a beat. Jaime was flirting with her. Even someone as clueless as her could see it. 

“Listen…” she started. “Tonight was magical and it was fun… but tomorrow I go back to the same girl I was yesterday and the rest of my life.” She needed him to know she wasn’t going to keep up with this new image in any way - it wasn’t her. 

“Sometimes it takes sexy clothes and a little makeup to show a man what he some how missed from the start,” Jaime whispered softly. “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he added after, in response to what she’d said. Brienne sat in silence the rest of the way back to the hotel, letting his words bounce around in her head. She didn’t know what they meant or if she was supposed to read more into them or not. 

When they got up to their rooms they went in through his door and she walked to the adjoining door inside. “I had a nice time tonight,” she admitted. 

“Me too,” Jaime said, limping over to her. “Thanks for putting up with me,” he said, leaning in for a warm kiss on her cheek. This time it didn’t feel strange or awkward, it actually felt kind of natural. “Night,” he added. 

Brienne nodded and turned to walk through the door into her room. She stopped and turned back. “Hey, Jaime,” she called out, peeking her head into his room. “It’s blue to match my dress…” It took him a second to figure out what she was talking about, but when he did he started grinning like a fool. “And they waxed me too,” she added with an evil grin. “Hurt like a bitch, but it’s all gone, not a hair left anywhere near my vagina. Night night.” She could hear him groaning as she shut the door with a satisfied smile. That entire interaction was so out of character for her and completely unprofessional, but there really hadn’t been much professionalism at all that evening. Jaime deserved the little bit of torture, she decided with a yawn. It was time to sleep… and then back to reality in the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you guys!!! I really, really love you! You're making this even more fun to write than it already is :) It's been a stressful few days for me but y'all have given me so many reasons to smile - thank you!

“Well it looks as though the two of you had one hell of a night,” Bronn said, as soon as he boarded the private jet. They all had to be up early and on the plane to fly to Dallas for a show that night. The busses and the rest of the band would be waiting for them at the venue. 

Brienne yawned and gave him a confused look. There was clearly something going on that she didn’t know about yet. Jaime also held the same look of confusion. Brienne had been really worried things would be awkward between them, but with the rush of getting ready and getting to the airport and then on the plane they really hadn’t had time for any of that. 

“Have either of you looked at your fucking phones?” Bronn said, plopping down in the seat next to Jaime. Both men were facing her. 

“I had a fuck load of texts… so I just ignored them all,” Jaime said with a shrug. He looked as exhausted as she felt and he still had a show to prepare for and perform. 

Brienne dug in her pocket for her phone. She actually hadn’t even looked at it yet in her rush to make sure she didn’t miss the ride to the airport. There were a lot of texts, but before she had a chance to read any of them Bronn started throwing things on the table in front of them. They were articles printed off the internet. “Looks like your antics mean that Brienne is going to have to play the girlfriend for a while… until we can release the truth about the stalker.” Bronn sighed. “You kissed her? Really dumbass?” He said to Jaime. “You let him do something that fucking stupid?” Bronn turned to her. “I knew we should have had Dany come up with a script for you two to follow.” 

“What does it matter?” Jamie asked. “People break up all the time. We don’t have to confirm or deny anything… for all they know she could have dumped me for Adam Levine at some point last night.”

“Adam is married you dolt,” Brienne snapped. What kind of ridiculous mess had they got themselves into? 

Bronn dug through the stack of papers and moved one to the top. The headline read: Jamie Lannister Shows up to Grammy’s with Sexy, Mysterious Blonde and They Can’t get Enough of Each Other - and there was a photo of the kiss. “I think you’ve already done the confirming anyway,” he muttered. 

“We only kissed once,” Brienne muttered. “And it was all him,” she added, glaring at Jaime. She was not taking the blame for his need to prove to the world that his date was heterosexual. She didn’t express that part to Bronn though. He shuffled through the stack some more and started throwing down other photos - hand holding, snuggling, foreheads touching… all Jaime’s fault - except maybe all of the hand holding. 

“Yeah, well if you hadn’t threatened your Icelandic lesbian backstory I wouldn’t have kissed you at all,” Jaime snarled. 

“You soooooo would have,” Brienne shot back. “That reporter barely made the suggestion and already your lips were all over mine.”

“Yeah well…” Jaime started. 

“Oh my God,” Bronn jumped in. “You guys sound like a fucking married couple already. Faking that the two of you are dating should be a walk in the park.” Brienne crossed her arms and slouched while Jaime scowled. That’s when Bronn started laughing. “This is good. So fucking good,” he snorted. “I do feel bad for you Brienne,” he looked at her apologetically. “But Jaime hasn’t had a girlfriend in… well… have you ever had a real one?” The scowl deepened and he didn’t answer. “Well now you’ve got one… at least until we catch your stalker.” 

“Is it really going to change anything?” Brienne asked. She was already by his side for most of the day anyway. 

“Not a lot,” Bronn admitted. “But it’s fucking funny,” he started laughing again. “You’ll probably have to stay in the same hotel room when we’re in hotels… maybe hold hands once in a while for appearances… Oh and there’s a charity gala next Saturday in New York…” 

“Fucking fuck,” Brienne hissed. A celebrity Gala for charity meant another goddam fancy dress. 

“Can we cancel?” Jaime asked. 

“Nope. You’re speaking, Dumbass,” Bronn rolled his eyes. 

“Oh well, this really isn’t that big of a deal,” Jaime shrugged, perking up almost as quickly as his mood had gone sour. “Bri would have had to come to the Gala anyway, right?” Bronn nodded. Why oh why hadn’t she thought it through before taking this damn job? I’m just gonna have to catch this stupid stalker in less than a week, she decided. 

“Anyway,” Bronn said, standing up. “Consider that your warning… when you get to Dallas and meet up with the band…” He didn’t finish, he just started laughing. They were going to get teased so bad, she realized, sighing out loud. “I’m going up front with the pilot for this trip,” he said, heading towards the door that lead to the cockpit. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone…” He ducked as Jaime threw something at him and then he was gone. 

“You’re right,” Brienne said. “It’s not going to be that big of a deal.” She was trying really hard to convince herself of that, but she had a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that was telling her she was wrong. 

“Wanna come over here and practice our kissing? We should look like we know what we’re doing,” Jaime said, patting the seat beside him and giving her a suggestive look. 

“Fuck off,” Brienne sighed. She never knew when he was serious or not… or whether it was a bit of both sometimes. She ignored the smirk on his face and picked up one of the articles. By the time she was finished reading it her cheeks were burning. There was some serious gushing over her dress and her hair… and the whole package. She’d never experienced that before… never from someone who was serious. And this wasn’t a joke. People, critics, were actually talking about how gorgeous and sexy she was. What an absolute nightmare this was turning out to be. 

“Oh hey look, you made one of the best dressed of the night lists…” Jaime said, showing her something he was looking at on his phone. “Well, I’m in the photo too of course,” he added smugly. “But I will admit you were a pretty hot accessory.” 

Brienne rolled her eyes. “Is that how you think of women?” Her tone caught his attention. “You think we’re just here to adorn your arm and draw even more attention to you?” 

His face dropped and the smugness was gone. “No Bri,” he said, shaking his head. “I was just teasing, but it was insensitive. I’m sorry, I really am. I’m not like that at all, I swear. I joke a lot and you know I can be an ass, but I really do appreciate everything you’re doing in your commitment to your job.”

Why the hell did he have the ability to make her feel bad for being annoyed with him when he was the one being a jerk? Now here he was apologizing so sweetly and she felt like crap for being annoyed in the first place. “It’s fine,” she said with a nod. 

“Are you okay… ya know… with all of this?” Jaime asked. “If it’s too much for you we can figure something out. Bronn and Dany can find another way…” 

“No,” she said quickly. It wasn’t the honest truth… part of her wanted to say fuck it and run. “I have to do this and I can do it,” she said insistently. “I signed on for this job and I will finish it.” 

Jaime smiled, “I’ve never met someone like you… so committed, with such strong work ethic.” 

Brienne smiled back. “You might wanna look in the mirror.” The truth was - he was every bit as committed to his job as she was. She’d seen it in the short time they’d spent together. Jaime was a perfectionist and he made sure every detail was just right. Huh, they really did have something in common after all. 

After that they relaxed and spent the rest of the flight to Dallas talking and joking over the articles and the texts they had both received. She made a mental note to call her dad that night and apologize for not letting him know she’d ‘finally found a man.’ Selwyn had been trying to set her up with ‘good guys’ for years. He had this weird thing about her being alone. Or maybe he was worried he might never get grandchildren - which was quite a real possibility. She could tell how excited he was so it would be hard to break it to him later that her and Jaime weren’t really a couple. 

The flight landed and they were taken by limo to the venue. Not surprisingly the entire band was there to greet them. “Are you two fucking?” Tormund asked with a scowl. The others looked extremely amused, but he seemed quite upset about the idea. 

“No we’re not fucking you idiot,” Jaime replied. 

“But you kissed her,” the ginger argued back. 

“Since when does kissing mean we’re fucking?” Jaime rolled his eyes. 

“He’d fuck her,” Brienne heard Sandor chuckle, elbowing Podrick so hard he almost fell over. “She’d fuck him too,” he added. “The way she looks at him.” 

“I’d fuck her,” Tormund piped up. Brienne was beat red by that point. They were talking as if her and Jaime weren’t even there. 

“Okay all of you - get out,” Jaime snapped. “Who said you were allowed on my bus anyway?” When they didn’t move he yelled louder. “Seriously, get out, NOW.” The guys all piled off the bus cracking a few last minute jokes as they left. “I’m sorry about that - they’re all a bunch of assholes,” Jaime apologized. “That won’t happen again. And I’ll deal with Mr. Jealous pants,” he added. “Unless… unless you’re interested?” 

“No,” Brienne said quickly. “Not even the tiniest bit.” Tormund might be a great guy, but there was something creepy about the way he ogled her and she just couldn’t imagine the two of them hitting it off romantically. 

There was a knock on the door and Brienne went to open it. “These came for you,” the man said. 

“You mean for Jaime,” she corrected him. 

“Nope, they’re for you. I was told they’re for the tall blonde woman and Dany is the only other blonde… I wouldn’t call her tall, would you?” He teased. 

Brienne took the flowers, thanked him and then shut the door. She looked at Jaime curiously. “Nope, they’re not from me,” he said, looking a bit awkward. “Should they be from me? Did you want flowers?” 

“No,” she sighed, sitting down to find the card. When she opened it and read what was inside her hand started to shake. 

“What’s wrong?” Jaime asked. “You’re white as a ghost… and you’re pretty white to start with.” 

She handed him the card with a nauseous feeling in her stomach. “Looks like your stalker has a new target.” 

_He’s mine you cunt. You’ll pay for this… with your life._


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been quite a day, sigh. I won't bore you with details of my ridiculous life, LOL, but just know this brief chapter was therapy for me. It's just a short one because I honestly didn't know if I would even have time to do this much. But a lot of you seemed intrigued by the Braime hotel room sharing so this is the start of that. It's really just a fun one with lots of banter. Hopefully I can get one with more substance out tomorrow or Thursday :) Hope you enjoy!!

“This is ridiculous,” Brienne commented as Jaime let them into the room with his key card. 

“What part?” he asked, looking amused as usual. 

“All of it. I could have carried my own damn bag,” she muttered. Jaime knew she was already annoyed about the bellman taking her things. “And this room. Who the hell is going to know if we stay in the same room or not? Really? And one bed,” she continued her rant. “We just had to get one bed huh?” Brienne drawled sarcastically. 

“Babe, come on,” he laughed. “The staff would know if we got different rooms, and they would also find it weird if we got two beds. We don’t need anything going on to make people suspicious.” 

“Don’t ever call me Babe again,” Brienne warned. She really hadn’t heard much past that. 

“Sweetheart?” She shook her head. “Pumpkin?” Brienne shook her head again. “Darling?” She crossed her arms and stared at him. “Muffin?” Jaime tried again. She rolled her eyes. “Katla?” 

She couldn’t help but smile and then tell him what she thought of all of those options in Icelandic cussing, “Farðu í rassgat.” 

“Did you just swear at me?” He asked, narrowing his eyes. “And how do you know Icelandic anyway?”

“I believe I told you to fuck off, but the literal translation is something like - go into asshole,” Brienne shrugged. “Either way… yep I just swore at you because you deserved it.” 

“You didn’t say how you know the language?” He said walking over and diving onto the bed like a child.

“I spent a year of high school on exchange in Reykjavik,” she explained. “I’ve lost most of it, but I do remember a few things and the cuss words of course.” 

“Huh,” he muttered. Brienne watched him bounce around on the bed. “It’s comfy,” Jaime commented. “Come try.” 

“We aren’t really both sleeping in that bed are we?” Brienne eyed him warily. 

“Of course we are, don’t be ridiculous. It’s a king, loads of room,” he proved his point by moving his arms and legs like he was making a snow angel. 

“I can just sleep on the couch,” she said, looking at the tiny love seat. 

Jaime laughed, “You can’t fit on that thing with those mile long legs.” 

“Then I’ll sleep on the floor,” she sighed. 

“Oh god… this is an upscale hotel and all… but it is New York…” He sat up and looked extremely serious. He looked around like someone might hear him and then whispered, “Cockroaches.” 

“I hate you Lannister,” she spat. He knew once he played that card there was no way she would sleep on the floor. “Just for that I should make you sleep on the floor with the roaches that we know aren’t actually anywhere but in both of our minds now - all because of you.”

Jaime smiled at her and patted the bed again. “Just come try it… we are gonna sleep like babies tonight,” he sighed. Brienne moodily stomped over to the bed and flopped down as far away from him as possible, which wasn’t that far given he’d taken up residence right in the middle of course. “Well?” 

“It’s a bit soft for my liking,” she replied. It actually was extremely comfortable, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of telling him he was right. 

“Oh you like things hard, hmm?” He asked suggestively. 

Brienne propped up on an elbow to glare at him. “Please don’t make me swear at you in Icelandic again.” 

“Go ahead… it’s sexy when you say dirty words in another language,” he replied, propping up on his elbow, mirroring her. She studied his face for a moment. It had been almost a full week since the Grammy’s. Kingslayer had played 5 shows with only one day off. In that time she’d been very much on edge from the threat the stalker had sent her - yet so far… there had been nothing else at all from the nutcase. 

Jaime had helped tremendously with her concern. They talked, a lot, and she had tried to put on a brave face at first and he saw through it. He’d admitted that he was scared too and was actually starting to realize just how serious the situation was. It was a weird relationship they had developed. There were times they would sit together on the bus after a show and have deep, thoughtful conversations and then there times like right then where they just bantered back and forth and she found him insufferable. 

Jaime hadn’t stopped flirting with her, not one little bit. If she believed it was real she might be flattered, but most of the time it just felt like teasing. Looking at him right then… he was beautiful, he was always beautiful, that was one thing she couldn’t deny, but there was a sparkle in his eye and a little smile on his lips. Those lips that he’d kissed her with. Brienne had thought about that brief moment more than a few times. She even had the video saved to her phone, even though every time she watched it she told herself she should delete it. That smile and those eyes… they seemed so real and genuine, but they couldn’t be she decided. 

Brienne yawned. “We should sleep,” she suggested. Their flight had got in late and it was already well past 2am. 

“We should,” he agreed, jumping out of bed. He pulled off the hoodie he was wearing and the tshirt underneath too. Then he dropped his pants and was down to his underwear. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows, then reached for the waistband. 

“Stop,” she hissed, closing her eyes just to be safe. 

“I like sleeping naked,” Jaime replied, his voice really whiny. 

“Yeah, well so do I… but we’re not doing it while we sleep in the same bed… oh…shit...” She opened her eyes and saw his stupid grin was even wider at her admission. 

“You like sleeping naked?” He looked way too excited. 

“Just get in bed and go to sleep… with your damn underwear on,” Brienne demanded. She turned her back, stood up and took off her sweater and socks, then pulled back the blanket and got it, sticking very close to her side. Of course Jaime moved practically to the middle. “Move over,” she said, giving him a shove with her foot. 

“Holy fuck,” he cried out. “Why are your feet so cold?” He instantly moved a good two feet further away. She likely could have got him to move all the way over with another little shove, but the weird feeling she’d felt with the first kick made her decide it was best not to try it again. Instead she rolled over and closed her eyes. 

Flop. Flop. Flop. Everytime Jaime moved the entire bed jiggled. Flop. Flop. Flop. “Oh my God, stop,” she snapped, sitting up to see what the hell he was doing. 

“I can’t get comfortable,” he moaned. 

“Really? Are you shitting me right now? You can’t get comfortable? We’re gonna sleep like babies,” she said, mocking him. 

He gave her a sheepish look. “Maybe it is too soft after all.” Flop. Flop. Flop. She watched him repeatedly flip over and wiggle around. 

Flop. Flop. Flop. “I swear will kill you if you don’t stop,” Brienne seethed. 

“Uhhhh... unemployed remember?” he said, grinning at her, just like every time he made her so irritated she threatened his life. “Listen… maybe if we snuggle I’ll be able to fall asleep.” 

“Snuggle?” Was he serious? He wanted them to cuddle up in bed together? 

“Do you wanna be the big spoon or little spoon?” Jaime asked, moving closer. Brienne was literally too exhausted to argue with him so she rolled over with her back to him as her answer. All she wanted was to close her eyes and fall asleep. The bed wiggled a bit and the next thing she knew Jaime’s arm was over her and his body was pressed up against her back. She was thankful that none of her skin was exposed to feel his bare skin touching her. But there was the issue of what was touching her butt. There were two pairs of underwear and a pair of sweatpants between them, but all she could think about was the fact that his damn junk was rubbing up on her ass. “Ahhhhh, much better,” Jaime muttered, wiggling just a bit before he was finally still. 

This is the worst idea ever, Brienne said in her mind. This is the worst idea ever. This is the worst idea ever. This is the worst idea ever? Is this the worst idea ever? Could this be the best idea ever? This is the best idea ever? This is the best idea ever… With a sigh and a smile on her lips Brienne fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously want to find each and every one of you that are reading this fic and give you a massive hug! I love you all so much! Let's turn up the heat, just a bit... shall we? :)

Brienne woke and immediately felt a strange aching sensation in her belly. It wasn’t painful… it felt… good. She stretched her legs just a bit and that’s when she realized where Jaime’s hand was. He had worked it up under her tshirt and it was spread across her lower tummy…. but that wasn’t all…the tips of his fingers were inside the waistband of both her pants and her underwear, resting right about where here pubic hair would have started - if they’d left her any. 

So many things were going on in her mind at once, so many questions. Had he done it internationally? If he did, what did it mean? Was he just teasing her more? Did he want his hand down her pants? And how did she feel about it? Her body was certainly enjoying the proximity of his hand to her nether regions. Dammit, Brienne thought, it feels so good. She resisted the urge to squirm because she didn’t want to risk waking Jaime. That would certainly lead to the quick removal of his hand from inside her underwear. 

There were so many dirty thoughts going on in her mind. Thoughts she didn’t even know she was capable of. Ideas of where she would like him to touch and things she wanted him to do with his fingers… and his tongue. Brienne had herself flushed in the cheeks before long and soon her entire body was hot. There were plans formulating in her mind… if I move really, really slowly maybe a can get his hand even lower… 

“Mmmm,” Jaime groaned. Fuck, he was waking up! She panicked but her body froze and her mind went blank. Thank God the naughty thoughts were gone at least. His fingers moved slightly and it sent a jolt of electricity tingling through her body. The thoughts returned. How could he have her so turned on? How could she be responding to him like this, Brienne wondered. If she had any sort of boldness at all they could have been fucking already. Sandor said Jaime would fuck her. Oh my god… her mind was all over the place and she began to chastise herself for thinking such crazy, inappropriate things. Jaime made a little sighing sound and then cuddled closer to her, pulling back with his hand, tucking her ass up tight against him. 

No, no, no… Now her mind was screaming. All those thoughts about fucking him… and he was ready. She could feel his erection. It would be so easy to just start things. He’d be willing, she just knew it. But it would be her first time and was this what she wanted? A man she found barely tolerable some days? And absolutely fascinating others, a voice popped up to remind her. He’s sexy and talented and… childish and arrogant and… dedicated and fearless and… stubborn and… STOP. Brienne squeezed her eyes shut tight and screamed inside her head - STOP. She had to shut her mind off. 

But if she wasn’t thinking she was only feeling and that was so much worse. Jaime wiggled and she felt that stirring in her belly intensify. He wiggled again and his hand moved about two inches lower. Oh. My. God. He was almost touching her… right… there. Holy shit. Holy fuck. The need she felt was like nothing she’d ever felt before. She needed to feel his touch. The craving was so intense, so strong. Touch me. Please Jaime, touch me. She was silently willing him, begging him. She wouldn’t ask. She wouldn’t say the words out loud, but she also wouldn’t stop him if he gave her what she wanted. 

The knock on the door echoed through the entire room. “Ahhhh,” Brienne screamed. 

“What the fuck?” Jaime muttered. His hand was gone. Had he even realized where it had been. 

“There’s someone at the door,” Brienne hissed. She had to answer it. She knew he couldn’t, whether he’d even noticed that yet himself or not, she wasn’t sure. Would they be able to tell? Her face had to be flushed. Would they know all the dirty thoughts that had been going on in her mind? She took a deep breath. That’s when she noticed the clock. “Oh fuck, it’s probably Sansa.” It was already after 12. How had they slept so long? 

“Uhhhh,” Jaime was sitting up looking at his crotch. “I’m gonna hit the shower.” 

“Yeah that’s probably a good idea,” she muttered. 

Jaime chuckled. “Sorry. Was I poking you?” 

Brienne ignored him, but she couldn’t help sneaking a peek as he grabbed his pants off the floor and trotted off to the bathroom. He definitely had a massive tent in his boxers. Did it have anything to do with me? Brienne wondered. A second knock brought her back to reality. Sansa was outside the door waiting to be let in and Jaime was taking care of his problem - one way or another. She sucked in another deep breath and went to the door. “Morning,” she said very cheerfully, hoping Sansa wouldn’t notice her desperate overcompensation. She did give Brienne a strange look, but shrugged and walked past her. “I’m not really ready… Jaime’s in the shower and I haven’t had my turn. We got in so late… slept in,” she explained. 

“It’s okay,” Sansa replied. She was likely used to it, dealing with Jaime and the band all the time. “Let’s order the two of you breakfast and you can shower after you eat, then we’ll start. I know Euron is stuck in traffic.” Euron was the hair stylist. He was a bit eccentric, but really, really good at his craft. 

Brienne grabbed the room service menu and then ordered for both her and Jaime. She’d been around him long enough to know what he liked to eat. “Wanna see the dress while we wait?” Sansa asked excitedly. 

Brienne sighed, “I suppose.” 

“Could you at least try to act a little excited… for me?” Sansa begged. “This is my life… and I think I picked something you will love. Comfortable, and nothing too flashy, yet still classy and… sexy,” she gave Brienne a smile as she opened the garment bag. “Now, trust me… it will look even better on you…” 

“Clearly our idea of flashy is very different,” Brienne muttered, looking at the dress. “How high is that slit?” She reached for the dress to confirm her suspicion. “My entire leg is going to show. Like the whole fucking thing,” she whined. “And… uh… how do my boobs even stay in there?” she hissed. 

Sansa held up a roll of tape. “I got ya covered. It’s double sided… I promise - no wardrobe malfunctions when I’m through with you.” 

“Did I hear wardrobe malfunctions?” Jaime piped up, joining them from the bathroom in just his jogging pants. Her eyes dropped to his crotch and she quickly looked away. What kind of idiot am I? Of course he’s not coming back out here with a boner. As her eyes moved up she fixated on his chest because, well… it was quite lovely. “Woah, is that what you’re wearing tonight?” He actually looked both impressed and excited. 

Brienne rolled her eyes, “Well I fucking hope it’s not here for you.” Although, she would have gladly wore his tux instead of the dress. 

“Check out the shoes,” Sansa said excitedly. Brienne almost felt bad for the poor girl. She was stuck with her and Jaime, neither of which gave a rat’s ass about fashion. When she held up the sparkly gold gladiator style sandals though… Brienne fell in love with them. 

Jaime grabbed one. “Hey, I think these might actually fit me.” 

“Not a chance,” Brienne said snatching it back. They were so beautiful. It annoyed her that something so trivial as footwear had her all heart eyed, but she couldn’t help it. And it made Sansa look happy too, so that was a win-win. 

The food arrived and her and Jaime sat down to eat. “How in the hell do the two of you still look like that… when you eat like that?” Sansa asked, turning up her nose and gesturing at their plates. 

“We’ll find a way to work it off later,” Jaime said, his mouth full of bacon. 

Sansa raised her eyebrows and smirked at them. “Not like that,” Brienne hissed, giving Jaime a glare. “He means… he means… like jogging… or something…” 

“Yeah… or something,” Jaime added, shoving another piece of bacon in his mouth. Brienne threw a piece of toast at him, which he caught and then took a bite of, never once losing the sexy grin on his face. 

“So, can I at least do my own makeup this time?” Brienne asked. Sansa stared at her like she had two heads. “What? I’m serious, do we really need to spend that much time on my makeup? I know I need a lot of work, but does it really matter that much?” She caught the look on Jaime’s face. The grin had faded and he seemed frozen. 

“It’s not that at all,” Sansa sighed, taking a seat beside her. “You have incredible bone structure, great skin, a lovely nose, full lips and the most gorgeous blue eyes.” She took her hands and smiled at her. “Believe me, you don’t need nearly as much work as a lot of women. But Varys is a professional. If you ask anyone who the best is… they’ll tell you it’s him. And I know you think all this sucks, but believe me - you’re lucky to have both him and Euron, especially with all the celebs in town for this gala.” 

“Fine,” she sighed. “I’m gonna go shower now, okay?” Brienne gave Sansa’s hands a squeeze to let her know it was all good and then let go. She headed to the bathroom and got in the shower. 

Two and a half hours later Brienne had her hair perfect, her makeup perfect and was ready to get into the dress and gorgeous shoes. Jaime on the other hand hadn’t moved from the bed in the last hour once Euron had fixed up his hair. He still had his eyes glued to the television. At least there was good music playing, but it was fucking annoying that she’d been worked on all afternoon and he would just step into his damn tux and voila. 

“It’s time for both of you to get dressed,” Sansa announced. She took Brienne into the bathroom and left Jaime with his tux. “Wow,” she muttered when Brienne was dressed. “It’s even more incredible on you than I imagined.” Brienne slowly turned around and once again she couldn’t believe her eyes. She didn’t know a dress and and some tape could make her boobs look like that. Brienne shifted and felt the cool air hit her leg, reminding her just how exposed she was. But even at her most humble she had to admit it looked hot. 

“I need some help with this damn tie,” Jaime called out from the other room. 

“That’s my cue,” Sansa said. “Listen, have fun tonight, okay? Or at least try. I know he can be hard to deal with but he’s a good guy, Jaime Lannister really is one of the good ones.” 

Brienne nodded silently. She knew it was the truth. Sansa left with a little wave and Brienne took a moment to study herself again. This was so far from where she even could have imagined she would be and as much as she wanted to hate it, all of it… There was one part she just couldn’t hate. She wanted to go to the gala - but only because she was going with him. She wanted to get dressed up and look sexy, but only because she liked the way he looked at her when she did. Brienne leaned forward and looked at herself in the mirror, right in the eye. “Don’t go there again,” she whispered. “Don’t do it Brienne.” 

But when she walked out of the bathroom and saw Jaime, waiting for her, she knew it was already too late. He looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He looked stunned and smitten and everything in between. If she could see it… it had to be true. “I’m speechless,” he said, slowly walking over to her. “And that never happens.” Brienne felt her heart pound when he lifted her hand and kissed it. “You’re gorgeous Bri.” He was being honest, she knew it, and he was making her feel even more beautiful. 

Jaime took another step closer. He’d put on cologne and it smelled so good. She closed her eyes, just for a second and inhaled. Brienne opened them again and looked at him. She knew without a doubt she was going to this gala with the most handsome man in the entire world. He was about to move again when something caught her attention. “No… no…” She gasped. “Turn it off,” she yelled, covering her ears. “Please Jaime… please turn it off. The TV... turn it, NOW.” 

The tears were coming… and she was on the verge of a complete meltdown. The next thing she knew his arms were around her and Jaime pulled her against his chest. “It’s okay Bri, shhhh. It’s okay.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed yesterday. Real life got in the way :) Your comments and kindness continue to blow me away. I need to make a confession... until a couple days ago I didn't know who the stalker was going to be LOL. I was enjoying the theories on who you guys thought it was. But I do know now, so Phew. Hope you enjoy this one!

“I’m sorry,” Brienne said, pulling away from Jaime in embarrassment. It felt good to have him hold her like that and she didn’t want to pull away, but she knew she was being ridiculous and she really, really didn’t want to cry. 

“Can you tell me what’s going on?” he asked gently. Brienne looked at him. His eyes were so deeply filled with concern for her. She owed him an explanation, but the whole story was so sad and humiliating. “Bri, please… talk to me.” 

“I just can’t listen to him…” She whispered, refusing to look at Jaime. 

“Renly? Renly Baratheon?” She could hear the confusion in his voice without seeing his face. “He was incredible… such a shame he was taken so young.” She felt Jaime touch her arm. “But what made you react that way? Did you… know him?” 

Brienne found the strength inside herself to lift her chin and look at Jaime. “I was with him when he died,” she said. The confusion on his face deepened. “Sit down,” Brienne said, with a sigh. “I’ll tell you everything… but promise me you won’t think I’m awful?” 

Jaime shook his head. “Never, you have my word.” 

They both sat. Her leg was completely out, but she didn’t even bother to try and hide it. “I knew him for a long time,” she started. “Before he became a star. We were actually in a band together for a short time.” Jaime looked intrigued. “But later on, when he did become famous… he hired me on his security team…” Her voice trailed off but she could see Jaime was starting to make some connections. 

“So the stalker killed him on your watch?” He asked, very gently. 

Brienne nodded in confirmation. “I watched him die Jaime… I watched him bleed on the ground and held him until the ambulance arrived… he was already gone…” She would never forget that night. It haunted her for so many years. She’d just recently been able to start to listen to Renly’s music again, but with everything going on with Jaime and the stalker… feeling like Deja Vu at times… it was just too much and she’d lost it. 

“I am so sorry,” Jaime breathed, looking at her with such sorrow. He felt awful for her and it was genuine. 

“He’s the reason I’m here - with you,” Brienne admitted. “When he was laying there dying in my arms he… he said… no one deserves to die because they can’t love someone else the way they want to be loved… We had talked about him being so famous and he had really grown to hate it. Only a few days before he was murdered he told me how much he wished he could go back… back to when music was just fun…” 

“I know that feeling,” Jaime replied with a nod. “I think we all go through that sometimes… especially the really stressful times. 

Brienne knew he would understand. Where Jaime was right now, in the public eye - right at the top - that’s exactly where Renly was when he was killed. It was so similar at times it made her skin crawl. “I swore to him I was going to find his murderer. That’s why I became a bounty hunter for a few years. I followed every possibly lead I could, no matter how much of a stretch it was… but the only thing I knew for sure was that the stalker was a woman…” The feeling of failure that she’d only recently been able to overcome was starting to creep back. “When I was offered the job protecting you… I couldn’t turn it down. It felt like…” She struggled to explain herself, worrying he wouldn’t understand and might be nervous now that he knew her track record with celebrity stalkers. She pushed through and did her best to express what was inside her. “I guess it felt like a way to honour his memory… does that even make sense? I won’t let the same thing happen to you Jaime… I can’t. I just won’t,” she said fiercely. 

“You loved him…” Jaime said, looking at her intensely. “You were in love with Renly… But he was…” 

“I know, I know,” Brienne interrupted. Though he’d never came out most people knew or at least suspected that Renly was gay. That was yet another reason that discovering the stalker was a woman was so surprising. But then again, Brienne knew herself what it was like to fall for Renly, knowing full well it was impossible for him to feel that way about her too. She could have been the sexiest woman on the planet and still he wouldn’t feel anything for her but friendship. Brienne never could prove it, but she suspected perhaps the motive for the stalker to finally kill Renly was that she found out about his sexual orientation and lost her mind. “Renly was… he was kind to me, at a time when many others were not.” That was all she was willing to say and thankfully Jaime didn’t push. 

“We can’t help who we love,” was all he said, still looking at her with his strikingly clear eyes. 

“I need you to promise me something,” Brienne said, both passionately and very seriously. He needed to know she really, really meant was she was about to request. “If it ever comes to any sort of incident or standoff with your stalker… you have to let me do my job. I can’t have another death on my hands. I just can’t go through that again.” He looked hesitant. “Jaime, promise me - right now. Swear that you’ll do exactly as I say and not try anything stupid.” 

She was begging him with her eyes and finally he gave in. “I promise.” 

“And you’re a man who stands by his word right?” Brienne needed to be certain. 

“I swear on my little brother Tyrion’s life that I will do exactly as you say,” Jaime said, holding up a hand like he was giving an oath. “He’s really the only family member I adore,” he added, giving her a smile. 

“Okay, I believe you,” Brienne said with a nod. She continued to struggle with some really bad feelings inside her. The similarities between what happened to Renly and what was going on with Jaime were scary at times. There were certainly differences. Jaime’s stalker seemed to always send notes with flowers, but Renly’s stalker did the creepy magazine letter cut out letters and left them in purple envelopes, every time. Initially Jaime’s stalker didn’t seem nearly as crazy as Renly’s… though that had just changed recently. 

Brienne looked down at her dress and then quickly stood up. “We should go. We’re going to be late.” 

Jaime stood and studied her face. “I’m going to give you two options… and I promise I’m fine with whichever one you choose,” he said. “We can blow off the gala. I’ll tell them I’m sick, send a massive donation and we can just stay here tonight and binge watch the PPV movies.” That idea did sound quite lovely. “Or… we can go to the gala, pretend we are a happy couple out for a fun evening and try to enjoy ourselves and forget all the bullshit surrounding us right now. I make an amazing date, I swear. I’ll be a perfect gentleman.” 

Brienne smiled but rolled her eyes at him. “No you won’t.” 

“Okay, maybe not perfect… but I’ll be on my best behaviour,” he tried again. 

Brienne shook her head. “Nope. You won’t. I know you.” 

“Oh fine,” he sighed. “I’ll probably check out your ass every time you’re not looking, spend half the night wondering if you’re wearing anything under that dress, flirt with you shamelessly, and be my usual perverted self.” 

“Now that sounds like the Jaime I know,” Brienne said with a nod. 

“So what’s it gonna be?” he raised his eyebrows and gave her a sexy grin, waiting for her decision. 

Brienne slipped her arm through his. “I didn’t spend hours getting ready and tape my tits into this dress to just stay home, let’s go.” Jaime’s face fell. “Shit, did I pick the wrong one?” 

 

“No, no, not at all,” he said. “But you did dash my hopes that one of your boobs might pop out at some point,” Jaime sighed. 

For the first time in what felt like forever Brienne laughed. A real, true genuine laugh. “You can thank Sansa for that. The ladies are taped up so good I might have to shower to peel this damn dress off later.” 

“Hmm… that sounds like the start of a good porno.” She smacked him, but laughed again and they left the room for the limo that was waiting downstairs. “So are you Katla again tonight? Or do I get to introduce people to the real you?” 

“Brienne is fine,” she replied. “I don’t know how much more Icelandic I can remember. And I’m pretty sure fuck, asshole, bitch and shit aren’t going to be needed.” 

“Yep, you’ve clearly never been to a celebrity gala before,” Jaime teased. Well, she’d thought he was kidding, but the truth was - she could have easily fit right in with her arsenal of Icelandic cuss words. It was like everyone hated everyone, even though they pretended to be besties until the other was out of earshot. It was exhausting. 

“How do you deal with this drama?” Brienne whispered to Jaime, when they had a moment alone. 

“Trust no one. Watch what you say and who you say it to,” he shrugged. “These people aren’t my friends. But, honestly… I’m so glad you’re here,” Jaime admitted. “It’s refreshing to be with someone so pure and honorable. Not to mention incredibly sexy,” he added, his eyes wandering to her cleavage. She’d been watching him closely all night, waiting for him to start checking out all the other delicious eye candy in the room. There were model and singers and actresses - all stunningly gorgeous and many scantily clad. But not once had she witnessed him check out any other woman in the room - only her. I must be missing it somehow, she thought. But she watched even closer and still the only tits and ass Jaime ever looked at were hers. 

The dinner was amazing. The speeches were boring - except Jaime’s. He was funny and charming and anyone who wasn’t already either insanely jealous of him or in love with him certainly was by the time he left the stage. They could have left at that point. They’d mingled, made small talk, and Jaime had signed over a lot of money to a lot of different charities. But the band started up and the next thing she knew he was asking her to dance. “Oh, I don’t… I don’t dance.” 

“Why not? Come on Bri… just one dance and we’ll leave, I promise,” Jaime held out his hand to her. 

“I… I don’t know how,” she hissed. She needed him to know it wasn’t that she didn’t want to, she just couldn’t. 

He grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the dance floor. “Just let me lead,” he whispered. Jaime led her out onto the dance floor with all the other couples and then he stopped, turned to face her and looked her in the eye. “Take a deep breath, relax and trust me,” he said softly. He slipped an arm around her waist, pulled her against him and then tucked the hand he was holding in close to their bodies. He leaned in and touched his cheek to hers and then very slowly he started to sway. Brienne felt her heart react with a thud. His hand was just above her ass and the area felt hot, like his touch was burning through her dress right to her skin. 

Brienne could feel the stubble on his cheek, rough against hers and she closed her eyes. It was hard for her to give up control but she trusted him so she did… and it was magical. Even the couple times early on that she stepped on his foot, he just soothed and encouraged her until they were moving as one again. Everything felt so perfect, like one of those damn fairy tales she’d hated as a kid. The way he smelled, the way his body felt melting into hers, the sound of his voice so low and rumbly when he spoke softly in her ear… The rest of the world faded away and it felt like it was just the two of them alone on the dance floor. 

Brienne had never felt disappointment before like she did when the song ended and Jaime slowly released her. “You’re a pro,” he said with a grin. Then he gallantly lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. “Thank you for trusting me,” he said. It wasn’t even close to some of the really crude things he’d said before but her body reacted like he was talking dirty right in her ear. “And now… we can leave… if you want to?” Brienne nodded. It was getting late and she knew the drive back to the hotel would take forever. She wasn’t sure if New York traffic or LA traffic was worse. 

Jaime was strangely silent on the ride back. It didn’t bother her much at first, but the longer it continued and became even more out of character for him the more it started to make her nervous. She caught him stealing glances at her every once in awhile, but still he didn’t speak. Is he upset with me? Brienne wondered. She wasn’t sure what she could have done to cause that but why else was he being so quiet? 

Brienne got her answer on the elevator the second the doors shut. She was standing quietly in the corner and Jaime was beside her, then all of a sudden in one single motion he turned and his mouth covered hers. Brienne was frozen with shock, much like the first time he kissed her, but this time it wasn’t in front of the world - they were alone, at least for the time being. She felt his hand on her face as he drew back and then kissed her again. He did it a third time before he finally drew his lips away. “Fuck, I’ve been wanting to do that all night.” His forehead was resting on hers, his body pinning her to the elevator wall, and he was lightly stroking her cheek with his thumb. 

I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. That thought kept pounding in her mind until she finally realized she’d been holding her breath and sucked in some oxygen. Jaime trailed his other hand up her bare thigh and Brienne sighed. The fire in her belly had returned and was raging out of control. He pulled back and she felt his eyes on her. Very slowly she looked up until their eyes met and instantly she knew. It had happened again. As hard as she’d tried not to go there… she was deeply in love with Jaime Lannister. 

The elevator doors opened and Jaime took a step back then smiled at her. Brienne blushed and smiled back. He reached for her hand and then turned, leading her out of the elevator… but to what? What exactly did he have in mind? 

 

When they turned the corner and Brienne saw what was waiting at the door - she froze, stopping Jaime with a tug of his hand. Then she moved in front, tucking him behind her. She wasn’t armed, but she would defend him somehow if she needed to. She looked up and down the hall, but there was no one in sight. Cautiously she walked over and picked up the bouquet of flowers. Red roses as usual. There was no telling how long they had been waiting there. She reached for the card, wishing her hand wasn’t shaking so much. Jaime joined her and she read the card out loud:

“Soon.   
Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week. Maybe next month.   
_Don’t look over your shoulder, you won’t see me.  
But I’m always with you, faithfully.”_

Brienne felt her stomach churn and the card fluttered out of her hand to the floor. “Bri? Are you okay?” His voice sounded so far away. 

“How does she know?” Brienne whispered. “What the fuck is going on?” 

“How does she know what?” Jaime asked. 

“That last part… it’s a song lyric.” It felt like she had ice water in her veins. “It’s one of his… Renly’s.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, don't hate me, please! I want to really build the tension but try to give you little smutty moments when possible. The stalker situation will be resolved soon, promise (you'll see why that's important to those of you wanting the good stuff, lol). I know it seems like the stalker is the main focus of this story, but there is another twist once it's resolved that takes it in another direction completely. I would guess we're only about half way if anyone is wondering. Thank you all for reading! Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

Jaime twisted off the lid and handed her the bottle of water he’d gone to get from the soda machine. Then he sat down right beside her. “Feeling a little better?” He asked, touching her knee. 

“Not really,” She admitted honestly. 

“I think it’s time to take this to the cops,” he said gravely.

“No,” Brienne said loudly, her eyes wide with panic. She had to make sure he didn’t go to the cops. If this was connected to Renly… if it was the same stalker… she finally had the chance to catch her. She finally had a lead. “Please Jaime, please give me a little more time. I need this… and there’s gotta be more going on… It can’t possibly be a coincidence that the same woman who killed Renly is now obsessed with you and threatening the life of your… girlfriend.” It felt weird to call herself that when it wasn’t true, just an act. “She saw me that night too, I know she did…” Brienne let her voice trail off. “Jaime… this is bigger than we imagined.” 

“More reason to call the police Bri. This woman isn’t just a crazed fan, we know that now. She’s a serial stalker and a murderer,” he protested. 

“I will protect you,” She said passionately. “With my life.” 

Jaime sighed, “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.” The concern in his eyes was deep and it almost took her breath away when she was struck with the realization that the concern was solely for her. He trusted her to protect him, but he was scared of what that might mean for her. 

“It’s my job Jaime,” she said gently, trying to give him a dose of reality in hopes that he wouldn’t feel so nervous and guilty he went to the cops behind her back. Brienne knew she was being ridiculous. She knew the only thing that was important was that the stalker was caught and it really didn’t matter who caught her. But she had held onto so much guilt for so many years. She’d spent so much of her life looking for this woman… and now she finally had a chance to get justice for Renly… and save Jaime in the process. “You can’t worry about me, I’m here to keep you safe.” 

“I can and I will,” he replied. “I don’t know if you believe in fate and shit like that, but… I feel like you ended up in my life for a reason… and I want you around long enough to figure out what that reason is.” Brienne felt her heart flutter. “What we found out tonight… that there’s clearly a connection to your past - it just makes me believe it even more.” 

Brienne managed a weak smile, “Okay, you can worry. But you still have to honour your promise.” 

“I gave you my word,” he said with a nod. She wanted to believe his word was good, but when she pictured his face, so full of concern for her… Brienne wondered if he could really leave her in danger if it came to that? 

Brienne stood up. “I don’t know how much sleep I’m going to get tonight, but… we should probably get to bed.” They had a flight to New Orleans early the next morning and Jaime had a show that night. “I’m gonna go change.” She gathered up some clothes for bed and headed into the bathroom. 

She took a few minutes to wipe away the makeup and then splash some water on her face to try to calm herself. It wasn’t until she went to take the dress off that she realized she needed help to get the zipper down. “Um… Jaime…” She stuck her head out the door. “Can you… uh… can you help for a sec?” He came to the door, already in his underwear. “I can’t get the zipper.” 

Jaime stepped into the bathroom and she turned her back to him, then waited. She could feel the warmth of his body close behind her then his fingers brushed her neck and shoulder. Just that light touch sent tingles through her entire body. Brienne closed her eyes and held her breath. She felt the zipper start to slide down, his fingers trailing down her spine with it, all the way to just above her ass. That should have been it. The zipper was down and she could feel the dress loosen, but she still stood frozen and he didn’t leave. 

His hands were on her shoulders and he slowly slid the straps off. The dress didn’t fall away because of the two sided tape Sansa had used on her bust, so Jaime turned her to face him. Brienne opened her eyes. She was looking down at his bare chest, afraid to meet his eyes, scared of what she might… or might not see. She could see his chest moving up and down and it was obvious his heart was pounding - very much like her own. Jaime gave a little tug on the straps of the dress and it pulled away from the tape. Then he paused and waited. Finally Brienne looked up at him and she gasped. The lust that filled his eyes made her weak in the knees. 

Slowly he released his hold on the straps and let them fall away, exposing her breasts. They were still taped, but enough of them were exposed, including her nipples, which were both completely hard. Brienne fought with the part of her that wanted to cross her arms over the front of herself because the way he was looking at her was astounding and she wanted it to continue. Jaime touched a piece of the tape and gave a little tug, then checked with her to make sure he wasn’t hurting her. Brienne shook her head and then helped him until all the tape was gone. 

She didn’t understand why she didn’t feel scared or exposed. She’d never been naked in front of a man… or anyone, before. Jaime trailed his hands down her sides to her hips and gave a push to allow the dress to fall off her hips where it had stopped. Brienne watched the material slide down her long legs and pool at her feet. When she looked up Jaime was smiling. “I wondered all night what was under there,” he groaned. “It’s even better than anything I imagined.” He snuck a peek behind her to check out her ass and groaned again. The sound made her start to ache between her legs. It was just a simple, lacy black thong. Not something she would ever wear normally, but it was all Sansa and her anxiety about panty lines. “Are you… wearing that to bed?” 

“Sorry to disappoint,” Brienne said, reaching for her pink cotton boy shorts and flashing them at him. 

“Oh that doesn’t disappoint me one bit.” Jaime moved behind her and she felt his hands on her hips. Once again Brienne closed her eyes. His hands on her body made her want to scream, a good scream… a scream that came from something that had been neglected for far too long. He hooked his fingers around the waistband of the thong and slowly pulled it down. “There you go,” he said, whispering in her ear from behind. 

Brienne felt dizzy. It was beyond her current state of comprehension that she was standing there fully naked with his hands roaming her body. She was too focused on the pleasure he was providing. Eventually her brain would start working again, but she hoped it was a while before it did because he was turning her on more than she’d ever been turned on before. It felt even better than when she touched herself and he wasn’t even near those places yet. He touched her shoulders and her arms, her back and her stomach… and then… he slowly worked his hand down lower, past her navel to where he’d been touching in his sleep that morning… then farther.. 

Brienne whimpered as Jaime’s fingers grazed her lightly and then probed just inside her slit. “Fuck,” he moaned. “You’re so wet.” She knew he was right, she could feel just how slippery she was, right where the ache was so strong. Unfortunately him speaking somehow made her brain start to work again. 

“Jaime… Oh God… Jaime,” she sighed, trying to get his attention but sidetracked by his fingers moving even deeper inside her. Brienne wanted to be fucked. She wanted to know what it felt like to have a cock inside her, not just any cock - his. She wanted Jaime to fuck her. She wanted him to be her first everything. But it wasn’t the right time, as much as she hated to admit it to herself… it just wasn’t right. There was something hanging over them and it needed to be dealt with first. “Jaime,” she said again, touching his hand to stop him. 

He quickly pulled away. “I’m sorry… are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m okay,” she whispered, turning to face him. “But we can’t…” Brienne hated hearing the words come out of her mouth. It made her feel sick to stop him, to prevent him from giving her everything she wanted so desperately. “I’m working for you right now… and this stalker… It has to be over first. I know you think there’s a reason I’m here and maybe that’s all it is. Maybe I’m just here to save you and that’s all…” He was shaking his head already. “When it’s over Jaime… when you have no reason to keep me here any longer, how do you know you’ll still want me then? Maybe you won’t feel like this…” 

“We’ll wait,” he said, interrupting her. “We’ll wait because it’s what you need.” She looked at him, not quite sure what he meant. “You need to know what I feel for you is more than just some fleeting moment because we’ve been thrust into this craziness. I get that.” He reached out and touched her face. “But I need you to know that I think you’re beautiful… and so sexy. And it’s you, just you. It’s not the dress or the hair or the makeup… it’s you.” 

“Jaime…” she whispered. 

“I’m serious Bri. Look at me…” Before she had a chance to stop him Jaime pulled down his underwear. “This is because of you… you did this to me.” She looked down because he wanted her to, at least that’s what she tried to tell herself. He was hard, fully aroused. “And I guarantee you that’s never going to change. I’m attracted to you Brienne - you. It’s not because of the situation but because you do something to me… you make me feel things… you fucking turn me on… even in your sweats and a t-shirt with those granny panties on.” She couldn’t take his eyes off his dick, his big hard cock… It reminded her how much she wanted him and her pussy started to throb with desire. 

“They’re called boy shorts,” she muttered, still staring at him. “You… uh… you gotta put that away because I can’t stop looking,” Brienne admitted, feeling her cheeks flush. 

Jaime pulled up his underwear and then handed Brienne her t-shirt. “Touche,” he said. Brienne quickly pulled on the shirt. It cut the sexual tension in half just to have them both covered up a bit. “Now c’mere.” He pulled her into a hug. “I’ll wait as long as you need me to Bri,” he whispered. “We’ll get through this.” 

“You’ve really destroyed your bad boy image tonight,” she said, leaning her forehead against his.

“Can it be our secret?” he asked, before lightly pecking her lips. 

“I’ll take it to my grave,” Brienne replied as she hugged him back, hoping that would still be a long, long time away.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally... the stalker is revealed :) I hope no one is too disappointed by the explanation. I'm really trying to mirror bits and pieces of the show where I can in this weird AU version of things. Anyway... I'm so excited for the next few chapters and the new twist that's coming up. I hope you all are still enjoying this and I do hope you'll like where it goes after this too :)

Brienne rested her shoulder on the wall just outside the bathroom door. They were parked in a private area outside the venue in New Orleans. The show had been amazing. Jaime was better than she’d ever seen him, and the audience was unbelievable. Out of all the concerts she’d seen so far this one was above and beyond, which was insane given how good the rest were too. 

The band had already taken off on their bus for the next show in Atlanta, as had Bronn, Dany and the rest of the crew. Jaime sent their bus driver Samwell away for an hour for a late dinner while he showered. He always had to shower after a show and he hated doing it while the bus was moving. 

Technically she was off for the night at that point, but given the fact they would simply be sleeping on the bus while they rode into Georgia they didn’t switch her off with another bodyguard. Things had felt really normal between her and Jaime all day. He’d allowed her to remain very professional, yet still kept up his flirtatiousness as if nothing had changed. It felt really good, given her anxiety about things being awkward between them, given they’d seen each other naked, kissed and both clearly had feelings for each other. 

She was curious what things would be like that night, before they crawled into their beds to get some rest. It would really be the first they’d been alone all day. Would things still remain normal? Or would it get weird with all the damn sexual tension that Brienne knew they would both be feeling?

Right that moment she was smiling though, because she knew Jaime was singing in the shower and she finally figured out what he was belting out. She felt really lucky to get to hear him sing like that, so free and careless because he assumed no one was listening. He still sang incredible, perfectly in tune, but there was an inhibition that really let him take it to a new level and remind her that he was much, much more than an amazing guitar player. 

Brienne decided to head outside for a few minutes to get a little fresh air before they took off. She smiled and quietly sang the same song Jaime had been singing as she climbed off the bus, _“I'll be there, till the stars don't shine, 'Til the heavens burst and the words don't rhyme. I know when I die you'll be on my mind. And I'll love you, always.”_

“Well you’re about to die, so who’s on your mind?” A voice asked. Brienne froze midstep. “Let me guess? Jaime? Well don’t worry, once I’m done with you he’s next. He won’t have too long to grieve your death.” Chills ran down her spine. All their suspicions had been correct - this was the same woman who had killed Renly. Brienne would never forget her voice - never. 

Brienne held up her hands and slowly turned. She had to see the woman’s face, even if it was the last face she saw before she died. The gun was pointed at her head and she was only about 5 feet away, not much chance of missing even if she was a bad shot. Seeing the hair confirmed it, even if Brienne didn’t already know. The hair was the reason she’d known all along it was a woman who killed Renly. When she ran away Brienne had caught just a glimpse of the long red hair peeking out under the ski mask she’d been wearing. It was blazing red, like fire, and she could still picture the color exactly - yes, it was the same woman and this time she made no attempt to hide her face or that head of brilliant red. 

“Toss your gun on the ground, slowly,” she said. Her voice had a slight accent, but Brienne couldn’t place it. She knew exactly how it sounded, but she never had figured out the dialect. Brienne did as instructed and then kicked it towards the woman. “Once I shoot you, do you think he’ll come running out?” she asked, looking excited. “Do you think he’ll actually make it that easy for me?” 

Brienne was deeply confused, but clearly the woman was crazy so there was likely no rationale for her actions at that point. But Brienne needed to stall while she figured out a plan so she decided to engage the woman. “Why do you want to kill Jaime? Why did you kill Renly? I thought you were in love with them? I don’t… I don’t understand.” Brienne knew she needed to keep the woman talking to buy as much time as possible, but she also knew she needed to keep things calm. 

The woman started to laugh. “Of course you don’t understand. You’re not supposed to.” Her face was so pretty but her eyes were wild. “But since I’m going to kill you now… and since we have so much history… maybe I’ll explain it to you.” 

“Please do,” Brienne said with a nod. 

“Shut up, I’ll do the talking,” she snapped. 

“Can you at least tell me your name?” Brienne asked. “I’m Brienne, but I’m sure you know that already.” She was doing anything she could to make the conversation longer. She didn’t want Jaime to come outside, she was praying he would see them out the window and call the police. But he needed time to get out of the shower first. 

“Of course I know who you are. I know you’ve spent years trying to find me and never once got close,” she laughed. “Pathetic. And yet Jaime’s idiot manager still hired you,” she shook her head. “You’re all a bunch of amatuer fools.” The smug look on her face was quite terrifying. “Melisandre. You should know my name so you can think of me as you die.” 

Brienne almost told her what a beautiful name it was, but caught her stupid response in time. “So, um… are you going to tell me why you want to kill Jaime? I thought I was the problem…” 

“Oh come on, you think I can’t see through that act? You’re not his lover or his girlfriend… you’re nothing more than an employee,” she snorted. “You’re far too ugly for the likes of Jaime Lannister.” Brienne bit her tongue. If she had any satisfaction to take away from this horror it was how wrong the psycho bitch really was. “I should have seduced him, just for a little fun before I killed him,” she added. “He wouldn’t have been able to resist me.” 

Brienne was getting more confused by the minute, but it didn’t matter as long as she kept her talking. She seemed to like the sound of her own voice so it was going well. “Anyway… your precious Renly and your new obsession Jaime…I’m not interested. The stalker thing is just a cover and motive to eventually kill them.” 

What the actual fuck? “But if you’re not interested in them… then why?” 

“Because they’re in the way,” she snapped. “There is only one true king of rock and he should be on top… Yet somehow the stupid fans fell for Renly and now Jaime…” Her tone was so bitter and filled with rage it made Brienne’s stomach churn. 

She wracked her brain trying to think of who Melisandre might be referring to, but she couldn’t figure it out. “Who do you mean?” 

Melisandre cocked her gun. “If you don’t know… I should just kill you now you disgusting whore.” 

Brienne started to panic. Who could she mean? Who was right on the edge of being the biggest star in the world when Renly hit the top, but was still around now in Jaime’s shadow? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck…Then it came to her. “No way,” she whispered. “You killed his own brother? Does he know it was you? Does he know you’re here, about to kill Jaime?” 

“Of course not you stupid twat,” Melisandre spat. “He doesn’t know a thing. He’s focussed on his music and I take care of the rest.” She was insane. Literally insane. The craziest of all crazies. 

“You murder the competition?” Brienne said in a hushed whisper. “That’s how you take care of your precious Stannis Baratheon?” Stannis was Renly’s older brother, an amazing musician in his own right, but he just never did seem to burst through like Renly and Jaime had. He was incredibly talented, but he just never had the charisma and charm to go with it. “He would be so disgusted with you if he found out.. When he finds out,” Brienne changed her tune. 

“Good thing he won’t find out, hmm? Since the only one who knows the truth is about to get her head blown off…” 

From the corner of her eye Brienne saw movement and the next thing she knew her worst fear was coming true. Jaime flew out of the bus and jumped in between her and the gun. “Get behind me,” He insisted. 

“I won’t,” Brienne replied, fighting him off and putting herself back in the line of the gun. “You promised,” she hissed when he tried again to move in front of her. 

Melisandre’s laugh caught their attention and they both stopped. “Look at the two of you, fighting each other for who is going to die first.” Brienne couldn’t help solidifying her position of protection. “So who wants to go first? Do you want to watch him die Brienne? Just like you watched Renly die? Do you want to hold his dying body in your arms? I’ll put you out of your misery this time though, I promise.” Brienne had flashes of that night. Pain seared through her body. It hurt far worse than physical pain, so bad it was blinding. But eventually she could see again. She could see so clearly and she knew exactly what she had to do. 

“What’s it going to be?” Melisandre asked. Brienne turned and looked at Jaime, but it was a decoy. As she turned her head she ducked down and lunged forward catching Melisandre around the legs and sending them both flying to the ground with a thud. 

The gun clattered onto the sidewalk and slid out of reach somewhere in the shadows. “Run,” Brienne screamed to Jaime. “You promised… go. Run…” She struggled with the feisty woman who was putting up far more of a challenge than she could have ever expected. “Call the cops Jaime… run…” She couldn’t look to see if he was listening. Melisandre had tucked Brienne’s gun in the back of her waistband and she needed to get it. But the elbows to the face were preventing her from getting too far. 

“I won’t leave you,” she heard Jaime say. Stupid fucking man. She should have known. The next thing she knew he was by her side and the two of them together were easily able to overpower the woman. But somehow… somehow she got her arm behind her and pulled out the gun. Fuck. No… Fuck…

Just when all hope was lost and Brienne was sure the gun was about to go off, killing either her or Jaime… a large shadow loomed over them all. “Uh… freeze… yeah I think that’s how you say it…” Brienne looked up and saw Sam holding a gun to Melisandre’s head. “Drop your weapon,” he boomed. It was followed by a shy nervous smile. “That’s what they say on the cop shows,” he added with a little shrug. 

The poor man had no idea what the fuck he was doing. But it was the distraction she needed to make another move. She lunged and when she did a gun went off. No… two guns… But who had been shot? Anyone? 

Jaime was on top of her and she was on top of Melisandre… and Sam… he… oh shit, Brienne watched him crumble to the ground. Had he been shot? Brienne couldn’t feel any pain, other than the weight of Jaime crushing her elbow into the cement ground. But when she lifted her hand there was blood… whose blood? 

She quickly tried to untangle herself. “Jaime? Jaime? Oh my God Jaime… are you ok?” He groaned. Thank fuck, he’s alive at least. She reached for the gun on the ground. That’s when she realized Melisandre wasn’t moving… at all. 

“I’m fine,” she heard Jaime say. Relief washed over her. He stood up and then helped her to her feet. “Bri, fuck… Bri? Were you shot? You’re bleeding.” 

“No, no…. it’s not mine,” she gasped. Jaime grabbed her and pulled her to him for a hug. She didn’t stop him, despite needing to make sure Melisandre wasn’t getting up and needing to see if Sam was alive. She didn’t stop him because she needed it, so badly. 

The adrenaline rush was over and she was crashing hard. Brienne forced herself back into action. “Call 9-1-1,” she told him. Jaime nodded and ran into the bus to get his cell phone. She quickly checked for a pulse on Melisandre and then saw where the blood was coming from and quit. There was no way she survived that head wound. Bile rose in her throat as she stepped away and ran to Sam. She checked him over quickly and couldn’t find where he’d been shot. “Sam? Sam?”

“What happened? Where am I?” The large man said, struggling to sit up. Brienne felt the relief fill her from head to toe. 

“Don’t try to get up,” Brienne warned him. “I think you fainted.” 

“Oh shit, I’m such a coward,” he muttered. “Did I… uh… did I shoot her?” 

“Sam you are a hero,” Brienne insisted. “You saved us all.” 

“Nah,” he blushed. “I didn’t mean to, I think I must have pulled the trigger when I passed out. Oh god… I killed someone…” The shock of everything that had just happens started to sink in and Sam began to freak out. Luckily the paramedics and police showed up and took over.

The next four to five hours was a complete blur. They were taken to the station for questioning and it took forever. Brienne told the same story over and over again. She was absolutely spent, both physically and emotionally. When it was all over both her and Jaime were released. They had taken Sam to the hospital and questioned him there. He would be just fine, physically anyway. Bronn had been called and was on his way back from halfway to Atlanta, along with Dany and the band. The show had to be cancelled in Atlanta and luckily they had two days off before the next show in Nashville. 

When she finally got to see Jaime again she fell into his arms. They held each other for a long time. “It’s over,” Jaime whispered, touching her hair gently. Brienne was too exhausted to cry - perhaps the only benefit of being that tired. “You saved me, just like you promised. You avenged Renly’s death too....you did it Bri. You’re my hero.” 

“I’m no hero,” she said, drawing back to look at him. “I was just doing my job.” 

“And now your job is over it seems,” Jaime said, his eyes somehow sparkling through the exhaustion and trauma. “Unless you would agree to stay on for the rest of the tour? Maybe with reduced hours so we can have a little more… free time.” 

Brienne found the energy to nod and even managed a smile. “I would be honoured.” 

The door to the room they were in flew open. “Where can I take you?” An officer asked them. 

“The Ritz Carlton,” Jaime replied quickly. Brienne gave him a look. “We have a couple days off now it seems. Let’s go sleep and then see what tomorrow brings, shall we?”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed yesterday! Life got in the way :) I'm still building to the smut and I know some of you are probably getting super impatient with me! But it's sooooooon! I promise! And Jaime Lannister is gonna bring the romance hard! LOL Hope you enjoy this one in the mean time!!

Brienne stretched and yawned. She still felt tired, but when the events of the night before started coming back to her she opened her eyes. “Morning,” Jaime said instantly. Shit, had he been watching her? Brienne wondered if she’d been drooling or snoring… or both. How long had he been awake? What the hell time was it?

She glanced at the clock and then sat right up in bed. “Oh my God it’s 2pm. Is that the right time?” Jaime nodded. “Why did you let me sleep so late?”

“You needed it,” he said with a shrug. “Besides, unless the cops call us in for more questioning we have nothing important that needs to be done for the next two days, so we’re going to hang out here, relax… maybe check out Bourbon Street tonight?”

Brienne stared at him. How could he just act like nothing had happened? Wasn’t he the least bit traumatized that a woman had died right in front of their eyes? Wait a minute… she actually wasn’t feeling all that terrible about it herself. Brienne was shocked by her lack of distress over the insanity that had happened the night before. She tried to figure out what she was feeling instead… it was relief. What kind of awful person am I? She wondered. “What’s going on in that mind of yours?” Jaime asked.

“I’m trying to figure out why I don’t feel upset over what happened,” She admitted. “All I feel is relief, so much relief… and freedom, like a weight has been lifted off me.” It felt so good to know that Renly’s killer had been found and that Jaime’s stalker problem was over as well.

“That’s what you should feel Bri. I feel the same way, and I’m happy that you can put the Renly stuff in the past now too. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to smile more. You’re so serious all the time,” he teased, nudging her lightly until she finally smiled. “Ah, there it is… you have the most beautiful smile,” Jaime said with a little sigh. She blushed a bit at the compliment. Brienne still couldn’t get used to his genuine flattery. He was Jaime freaking Lannister - famous, successful, gorgeous… and he wanted her. It was mindblowing when she really thought about it. “I ordered some food, it’s on the way. But if you feel like showering and getting dressed everything you need is in the bathroom.” She gave him a puzzled look. “Bronn was here earlier, along with Dany. They had Sansa gather everything we needed to hide out here for a couple days while they deal with the PR nightmare,” Jaime explained. “Don’t worry, I told Sansa to get stuff you would like.”

“Bronn and Dany were here… and I slept through it,” she said in awe. The bedroom was a bit separate from the main room, but there weren’t doors or anything. How could she not have heard them?

“I was shocked too. Bronn isn’t known for being quiet,” Jaime said with a chuckle. “Especially when stuff happens that make his job a lot crazier than normal.”

“Do you have to make a statement?” Brienne asked.

Jaime nodded, “But not until just before the next show. Dany will look after everything and then prepare me something fancy to say to the media.” She felt nervous, wondering what it would mean for her. “I told them to leave you out of it as much as possible,” he said. “No one needs to know you were my bodyguard, not my girlfriend… unless you want me to have them make that clear?”

“Oh… um… no, it’s fine...” Brienne replied. She really wasn’t sure which way was better for her. Being Jaime’s girlfriend brought a lot of eyes upon her, but if they told the world she was just his bodyguard it would make it all feel like a lie. It was a lie you idiot, a voice in her head piped up.

Jaime reached for her hand. “I just figured it would be confusing to say nope she’s not really my girlfriend, then just turn around and say, well… actually she is…” Brienne felt her jaw drop. Did that mean what it sounded like it meant? “That’s if you think it might still happen,” he said quickly, looking uncertain. Jaime rarely looked uncertain. It was very strange. “The stalker thing is over,” he shrugged. “And I know I still want you here… with me.”

“As part of your security team,” Brienne made the correction.

Jaime shrugged. “You don’t have to work for me Bri. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to leave right away. I need more time… for us.” He tickled her palm with his fingertips. “If you’re not comfortable crossing the line with your boss…”

He was starting to lean in like he was going to kiss her and Brienne panicked. She put a hand on his chest and then jumped out of bed. “Hold that thought. I need to shower and brush my teeth.”

Jaime rolled his eyes. “You know I don’t care, right?”

“That’s easy for you to say since you already have minty fresh breath,” she said, starting towards the bathroom.

“We’re going to kiss with yucky morning breath someday,” he called after her. “One more thing for you to look forward to,” Jaime added with a chuckle as she shut the door.

Brienne took a long hot shower. Jaime wasn’t kidding when he said they brought everything the two of them would need. There was shampoo, soap, bodywash, razors, shave gel… and the list went on. It wasn’t just little hotel sized bottles, but the full thing. It was so weird to her to have people take care of you like that. She did curse Sansa when she got out of shower though. She’d done okay with the clothing options for the most part, but the damn underwear were… well… pointless, Brienne decided, holding up one of the pairs from her bag. There was barely enough material to cover anything. But they are cute, that stupid voice in her head piped up. With a grumble she slipped them on. Huh, they were actually quite comfortable too, even if half her ass was hanging out and they sat really low on her hips. Oh well, at least it’s not a… thong, she sighed out loud when she dug deeper in her bag and found a silky neon orange thong.

Brienne finished getting dressed, towel dried her hair and then brushed her teeth - really well. Jaime was waiting to ambush her the second she walked out the door. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him and then spun her and shoved her up against the wall. It wasn’t a hard shove, more playful, but the look on his face was so intense and sexy it made her thankful to have the wall behind her for support. He licked his bottom lip and her heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t on purpose which made it even more erotic. When Jaime finally kissed her Brienne felt like her feet were off the ground and she was floating. There were tingles. There was heat. And even what felt like full on electricity coursing through her veins. He started slow, but the second their tongues brushed for the first time things got wild and passionate in ways she’d never known.

The majority of her focus was on the kiss - the way he tasted and the way it felt physically, not just her lips but all over her body. But Brienne also noticed the other sensual things he was doing while they kissed, like grinding his groin just very lightly against her, or the way he lifted her shirt and put his hand on her bare skin instead of touching the material. He released her mouth and moved immediately to her neck. It was amazing how good it felt to have his hot breath against her skin and his wet lips and tongue exploring her. And somehow it didn’t tickle, even though she was normally very ticklish in that area.

Jaime’s hands were starting to move up higher under her shirt and her breasts started to ache for his touch. She knew her nipples were already stiff with anticipation and she was ready to moan with pleasure when he finally got there. But before he did there was a rap on the door. “Jesus fucking christ,” she groaned in frustration.

Surprisingly Jaime took it much better. “Oh finally, our food is here.” He breezed off to answer the door leaving her panting and flushed with desire, still leaning on the wall. She took a moment to collect herself and then joined him at the table where their food was waiting. “We’ll resume that later,” he said, giving her a super sexy grin. “If you want to…”

“Yes,” she replied, probably a little too eagerly.

Jaime laughed. “Does that mean… you’re ready now?”

He said it a bit hesitantly, but he certainly wasn’t beating around the bush. It wasn’t all that long ago she told him she wasn’t ready. But Jaime hadn’t once faltered from making her feel like he wanted her around, that he cared for her and that he was physically attracted to her. He always respected her wishes, he made her feel beautiful and there was no denying how badly she wanted him. If she took too much time to think about it she could convince herself to say no. Maybe it was bad timing. Maybe the employer/employee line really shouldn’t be crossed. Maybe after they… took that next step Jaime would realize she wasn’t what he wanted after all, leaving them in a very awkward work situation. Maybe… no, she told herself, stop with the maybes. It’s time to take a chance. It’s time to allow yourself to trust someone else. It’s time to live. “I am,” Brienne replied confidently.

“Smile Bri,” he said, grinning at her. “It’s what we both want and it’s gonna be incredible.” She tried to smile through her nerves. “I won’t hurt you… you believe me, don’t you?” She gave a nod. “And I know it’s your first time… so I’ll make it special - promise.”

Brienne was flattered that he cared that much, but she didn’t want him to go out of his way… or did she? Hell, if Jaime Lannister wanted to romance her and make her first time even more memorable she wasn’t going to stop him. “I didn’t take you for the romantic type,” she teased, hoping to encourage him even more.

“Is that a challenge? Because you know I excel at challenges,” he replied cockily.

“Is that so?” Brienne said, biting her lip to keep from laughing. “Is that ankle all healed up now?”

“Shut up,” he chuckled, tossing a french fry at her. Brienne caught it and ate it, smiling back at him. It felt so good to be happy and carefree with him like that. “Oh hey, speaking of the good ol’ days… that reminds me… we had a deal. The stalker thing is over… so now you get to tell me why you quit making music.”

Brienne’s stomach twisted. She had promised she would tell him and she trusted him enough to do that, but she had relived the moment so many times in her head but never told another soul. The only ones who knew were the ones who were there and a huge crowd of fans that really wouldn’t remember her anyway. The humiliation of what happened was more personal and about friendships than the embarrassment of the actual incident itself. It had broken her in ways that she just had never been able to repair for years and years. It also was the main source of her trust issues. “Okay, I’ll tell you. But you need to remember I was a teenage girl who only wanted one thing in life - to play guitar on stage under the spotlight… it might not seem like a big deal…”

“Bri, if it made you stop playing and hurt you that bad… it’s a big deal. Just tell me, I promise I won’t judge you,” he said before taking a big bite of his burger.

She took a deep breath and started her story, pausing to eat when she needed a moment. “I met Renly one night at a little dive bar that I wasn’t even old enough to be in. There was an open mic so I went, played a few songs and tried to sneak out the back before anyone realized I shouldn’t be there.” Luckily she’d always been tall and normally they left her alone since she wasn’t drinking. “He caught up with me in the ally. We talked and he asked me to be in a new band he was putting together. I agreed and I loved it because I got to play every night. I was getting better too. I was already better than the other two guitar players and probably Renly too. But everything seemed fine. They all seemed nice. I had no idea what was really going on.” Brienne felt anxiety even thinking about it right then.

“One day Renly suggested I take over the main guitar solo in our most popular cover…” Brienne had been so excited for the opportunity to play a crazy fun riff, all alone in the spotlight. “I didn’t even know how pissed the rest of the band was. No one acted any different…” She stopped talking and ate a bit more to collect herself.

“We had a pretty big show coming up… Renly thought it would be a great night for me to debut the solo…” Her stomach knotted up at the memory. “I was overjoyed and I couldn’t wait for the end of the set… for my moment…” She couldn’t look at Jaime as she spoke so she had no idea how he was reacting. “When the time finally came… I took my spot and… nothing happened.” The rage and embarrassment she had felt that night returned just thinking about it. “The fuckers arranged to have me unplugged. They shut off my guitar… and there was nothing I could do. They were laughing. I could see all of them laughing. And then one of them shoved me out of the way and played my solo to the screaming crowd.”

She finally looked at Jaime and she saw anger in his eyes. “Bri, fuck… I’m so sorry they did that to you.”

“I know I should have been stronger. I should have told them all they were idiots and found myself a new band… I should have kept playing… but every time I thought about them laughing at me I would just freeze up. Finally I just put my guitar away and never took it out again,” she finished with a sigh.

“But what about Renly?” Jaime asked.

“He didn’t know. When I left the stage he followed me, even though the show wasn’t over yet.” Brienne couldn’t help but smile wistfully. Renly really has been one of the good ones. “He caught up with me and I was crying like a fool. So he hugged me. He held me until I stopped crying and he said, ‘those nasty little shits aren’t worth crying over.’” She could still hear him speaking those words to her. “That was the end of the band. Renly fired them all and I went back home and went to college. I just couldn’t go back to music no matter how much that ache inside me pushed me to try. Several years later when Renly started to make a name for himself we crossed paths again and that’s when I started working for him… and you know the rest.”

“I’m glad you had him in your life,” Jaime said, reaching out and squeezing her hand. “I’m so sorry he’s not still here now…” It sounded like he wanted to say more. Brienne wondered if it was the same thing she was thinking - if Renly hadn’t died she may never have come to work for him. Maybe everything happened for a reason.

Jaime got up and returned seconds later with two acoustic guitars. “What’s going on?” Brienne asked, feeling confused. How much stuff had Bronn and Dany arrived with while she slept anyway?

“We’re musicians. How do we deal with our personal shit?” He asked handing her one of the guitars. She took it and watched him go get the hotel provided note pad and pen.

Slowly Brienne started to smile. She actually couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it herself. “We write a song about it.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always get a bit nervous posting smut. Hope you all enjoy.

Brienne was still singing the song in her head as they walked down Bourbon Street hours later. It was actually really good. It would never go beyond the two of them, but it was special and therapeutic and she would never forget writing it with Jaime that afternoon. She glanced over at him and smiled. They were both wearing beanies to hide their hair in hopes they wouldn’t be recognized, but chances were very slim. “Excuse me, Mr. Lannister.. Could I… could I get a selfie?” A young woman asked. So much for not being recognized Brienne thought. She watched Jaime pose with the star struck teenager and her just as star struck mother. He was so sweet with his fans. 

After they were gone Jaime took her hand. “Come on.” They ducked into a tiny bar and found a little booth, hidden out of sight. She looked at him across the table, so handsome… but there was something more… he looked genuinely happy. “We should eat… we’ll need energy… for later,” Jaime said, giving her a little nudge with his foot under the table. 

The slightest touch and the reminder of what was to come later set her hormones raging inside her. This was really happening. Finally. There were nights she would lay alone in bed and wonder if she would die a virgin. There were times she really didn’t care, or at least she’d convinced herself she didn’t. Then there were other times she was so curious, so desperate, so eager to know what it’s like to be with a man. It wasn’t as if she’d never had options… but she just couldn’t allow herself to give her first time away to someone who didn’t matter. Jaime though… he mattered. He mattered very, very much. 

Brienne noticed him checking his phone a lot during dinner. “Is everything okay?” she asked. It didn’t bother her, but she was worried there might be PR problems he would need to attend to. 

“More than okay,” he replied with a smile. But that’s all he said before going back to his dinner and idle chatter. Brienne tried really hard to eat, but she was so nervous. She was envious of the way Jaime seemed so calm as he polished off his food. “Aren’t you going to eat?” help asked, noticing she had barely made a dent in her plate. 

“I’m… a bit nervous,” she admitted. There was no use in hiding it. 

“Me too,” Jaime replied, reaching for a piece of deep fried okra off her plate. “I’m stress eating,” he joked. At least she thought it was a joke. “Are you ready to head back then?” he asked, signalling for the bill before she even nodded. She watched him pay and then send another text message before he smiled at her. “Let’s do this,” he said, standing up. 

Brienne had to resist the urge to run on the way back to the hotel. She just wanted to get off the busy street, filled with happy people partying and laughing. She just wanted to be alone with Jaime. Naked with Jaime… Oh God. Another pang of anxiety hit her so hard it took her breath away. She sucked in a long gulp of air and hoped Jaime wouldn’t notice. Why did he seem so calm? He said he was nervous. Was he lying? Had he just said that for her benefit? Why would he be nervous anyway? He was experienced. He knew what he was doing. He had to know he was gorgeous… of course he knew he was gorgeous, she’d seen his… ego... before. “Stop thinking so much Bri,” he said, tugging her hand gently to try to snap her out of it. 

“Easy for you to say,” she muttered. They were finally in the hotel and almost to the elevator. The elevator. She had flashes of their kiss the second they stepped inside. Jaime linked their fingers and stared at her. “What? What’s wrong… is there something on my face?” He had an adorable grin and she smiled back at him. 

“I can’t wait to see your reaction,” he said, smiling wider. The elevator stopped and they got off. Brienne was feeling dizzy as they approached the door. Jaime let them into the room and the second she stepped inside she gasped. The room was completely transformed with candles and rose petals. It was like something out of a romance novel. It was one of those scenes you see in a movie but you know they never really happen. Jaime stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry I was texting so much at dinner, but I had to make sure they got everything just right.” 

“You.. you did all this for me?” Brienne felt tears well up in her eyes. He hadn’t physically put everything in place, but she knew how much of a perfectionist he was and he would have given every last detail. 

“Bri… this moment between two people only happens once,” he whispered in her ear. “There’s only one first time for us and only one first time for you - I want them both to be perfect.” He turned her to face him and brushed away her tears. Brienne felt her body tremble at his touch. “Shhh,” he said gently. “You know I won’t hurt you,” he said softly, leaning in to brush her lips. “The tub is ready in the bathroom. Go get in and wait for me,” Jaime said, releasing her slowly. 

With her heart pounding Brienne left him and followed the path of pink rose petals the led to the bathroom. The smaller room was also set a glow in candles and the tub was filled with a thick layer of bubbles on the top. She quickly undressed and slipped into the tub. She wanted to be sure she was ready like Jaime requested. The water was hot and it felt really soothing, just what she needed to relax - a bit anyway. 

There was a little wrap on the door. “Close your eyes,” Jaime said. “No peeking.” Brienne bit her lip and closed her eyes. She heard him set something down and then felt him touch her shoulder. “Scoot forward,” he said. Brienne moved forward and hugged her knees to her chest. Jaime slipped in behind her and then pulled her close to him. “Lean on me,” he said softly. Brienne leaned back until she made contact with his chest. “Relax,” Jaime whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. Feeling his touch only made her tense even more. He laughed and she felt his body jiggle. “Here, maybe some wine will help.” Jaime handed her a glass and then picked up his own. 

They drank in silence until her wine was half gone. The half glass, along with the whiskey she’d had at dinner gave her a little more courage. “Uh Jaime… are we, are we doing it in here?” Brienne had imagined how it would happen many times, but it was never in the tub. 

“No,” he said, putting down his glass. He ran a hand down the front of her thigh. “This is just foreplay.” He slipped his hand to the inside of her thigh and then grabbed one of her breasts with the other. 

Brienne sighed and put down her glass too, before she ended up dropping it in the tub. Jaime started to kiss her neck and shoulder. She moaned when he lightly sucked on her skin. Every part of her body felt like it was aching and burning and tingling all at the same time. “Foreplay… or torture?” she muttered. 

Jaime laughed again. “You might be the only woman in the world who has ever uttered those words.” Before she had a chance to respond he slipped his hand between her legs and touched her. Brienne heard herself whimper and felt her body tremble again. 

“Wha… what are you doing?” She got out, between pants as he curled his fingers to probe into her. 

“I’m gonna make you come Bri,” he breathed into her ear. “Close your eyes and just feel it,” Jaime said as he rubbed her nipple with his thumb. She moaned and arched her back a bit, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Does that feel good?” he asked rubbing her clit at the same time. Brienne knew how to get herself off. She knew what she liked and what felt good. But having someone else do it instead was… incredible. The nerves hit her again and Brienne felt her body tense against his hand. Jaime moved his fingers away, “Should I stop?” 

She shook her head. “No, it's okay,” she whispered. There was a slight wobble in her voice from nerves. Ever so slowly he slipped his hand down her body, back between her legs. She could feel herself tense again as his fingers made contact with her sensitive skin and she tightened her legs against his hand.

Jaime stopped moving until she relaxed and let her legs open slightly. He grazed her slit and she moaned. Nerves or not she couldn’t wait to feel him slide his fingers deeper into her. He started with one and Brienne gasped pretty much in sync with his low groan. Jaime eased her legs open a bit wider and slipped a second finger inside her, shifting a bit for leverage, so he could push deeper. She gasped again and whimpered. “It’s okay,” he soothed her, nuzzling her cheek with his own.

He moved his fingers in and out of her slowly and Brienne closed her eyes, relaxing even more as she focused on how good it felt. She imagined it was really his cock pushing into her and she felt her heart begin pounding so hard it was echoing inside her head. When they finally did have sex it was going to be incredible, she knew that with certainty. 

Eventually he pulled his fingers out and moved up to her clit, rubbing it gently. “Oh God,” Brienne mumbled, her body trembling with his touch. She was already so aroused her nub was hard and swollen. He moved back down to tease her opening and then flicked his fingers over her clit a few times. 

Brienne realized it wasn’t going to be a difficult task at all to make her come. He repeated the process of alternating between pushing his fingers deep inside her and then teasing her clit until she couldn’t take it anymore. She needed the release. Badly. So she caught his hand, and forced him to keep playing with her nub. He started to move faster, flicking it quickly, but gently and she felt her body stiffen with tension against his chest. She continued to grip his hand, making sure he wasn’t going to stop until she finally whimpered, shuddered and her entire body relaxed. Her orgasm so intense, yet satisfying and blindingly erotic. 

Jaime surprised her by slipping his fingers back inside her to feel the contractions inside her pussy. They were rather intense and she loved the way it felt to have his fingers in there while they continued. As they eventually eased off he removed his hand and Brienne took a deep breath, sighing as she settled back once again on his chest. 

He touched her everywhere he could reach, just a light graze over her skin with his fingertips. Why was he so damn perfect? Brienne started to get deep into her head again and ran smack into all of her insecurities. Jaime knew what to do, but she didn’t. She couldn’t give him what he’d just given her, not in the same way. Even if she tried she would probably do it all wrong. Fuck. Maybe this was a terrible idea. Maybe this was not just their first time, but their last too. 

He shifted behind her and Brienne felt his rock hard dick brush against her lower back. The knot of anxiety pulled even tighter in her tummy. God, she wanted him so badly. So fucking badly. But she was terrified she would ruin everything with her ineptitude. Her entire body was rigid again. 

Clearly Jaime noticed. Her put his hands on her shoulders and turned her so she could face him, then kissed her gently. Brienne loved the tingly feeling it left on her lips every time. “I don’t just want sex Bri, I want you. All of you. If you aren’t ready right now, that’s okay. I’ll wait because you mean so much to me.” 

“No,” she shook her head. “I’m ready… I swear. I just… I don’t want to screw it up… for you.” Why was it so easy for her to admit her fears to him like that? 

His response answered that question. “And I don’t want to screw it up for you either. Look at me,” Jaime said, touching her chin to guide her eyes towards his. “I have never been more scared of messing something up in my entire life. So if you’re really, truly ready… we will be brave… together.” Slowly he stood up in the tub. Dammit, he was so sexy. So deliciously sexy. His cock was right at eye level for her, so close to her mouth… Before her mind could get any further down that path he offered a hand. “Ready?” With a nod she placed her hand in his and he raised her to her feet. It was time.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally... :) I hope everyone is ready for a hard left turn - it's coming soon ;)

In fluffy white robes, hand in hand, they followed the path of rose petals that led to the bed - they were red this time and they tickled her feet when they stuck to her. But they were soft and the romantic gesture was so touching it made her tear up seeing it again. Along beside the path of roses were candles inside glass covers lighting the way with their flickering glow. “I know the whole bed covered in rose petals thing is supposed to be the most romantic of all,” Jaime said as they stopped at the bedside. “But… I did that once and ended up with petals everywhere… I mean everywhere. Trust me, it’s better this way.” He reached over and pulled back the covers so she could get it. Then he turned, pulled the tie on her robe and shoved it off her shoulders, adding his to the floor just as quickly. 

Brienne took a deep breath and then got into bed, lying on her back to look up at him. His eyes flickered from the flames of the candlelit room, sparkling in a way she’d never seen before. She took a moment to let her eyes wash over his body. His face, handsome as ever with little wisps of hair falling over his forehead. His broad shoulders, wide chest and muscled biceps. His defined abs and long, strong legs. And then… she looked at his cock, thick and hard - ready, for her. Jaime knew she was staring at him and he reached for his dick, stroking it slowly, up and down. 

Brienne couldn’t look away, even though her cheeks were flushed with both desire and bashfulness. She squeezed her thighs together, squirming from the ache he was creating in her. Her breath caught in her throat. It felt so naughty to watch him. It wasn’t like she was spying or anything… yet suddenly she wanted to. What would it be like to secretly watch him masturbate? Brienne felt a burning desire to know rip through her. 

Jaime let go of himself but her disappointment only lasted a minute as he set a knee on the mattress and then swung the other leg over her, straddling her body. As he bent forward to kiss along her jaw his erection pressed against her belly and Brienne moaned. She arched her hips pushing her groin area up against his ass. Jaime touched her breasts, kneading them lightly. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Brienne was pretty sure there was no feeling in the world that could compare to the want, the need, the ache that was consuming her. “Please,” she whispered, looking up at Jaime and begging him with her eyes. 

He nodded and then leaned over to the nightstand to open the drawer. She wondered at first what he was doing, but quickly clued in. It was funny that she had never once thought about protection. It was stupid, really. Thank God Jaime knew what he was doing. Brienne watched with curiosity as he opened the condom and put it on. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand the concept or anything, but she had never actually seen one up close other than the one on the banana in sex ed class when she was a girl. It was a reminder that she really had so much to learn when it came to sex, but it was also a reminder that she had a great teacher. He’d already showed her so much patience and restraint on his behalf. Not to mention the romance and tenderness. 

When he was ready Jaime paused and looked at her for a moment, before he shifted and moved between her legs. “Will it hurt?” Brienne blurted out. It wasn’t that she couldn’t stand a little pain, she just wanted to be prepared for it. 

Jaime shook his head. “I’ll be gentle, I promise. It should feel good.” He rubbed the outside of her thighs to relax her. Brienne nodded. She was ready for whatever would happen. She let her legs relax and fall open and watched his eyes fall. Jaime touch her first with his fingers. His mouth fell open slightly and he sighed. 

Brienne closed her eyes and she felt him touch her again, but this time it was different… Something was moving into her, slowly, filling her… stretching her like fingers couldn’t do. She fought off the urge to panic and the urge to tense, instead she stayed relaxed and enjoyed every inch of him moving inside her. Jaime moaned, loudly and she opened her eyes. “So wet… and tight…” he sighed. The look on his face told her those were both good things, really, really good things. 

Jaime started to slip out of her and then pushed back in, even deeper than the first time. Brienne whimpered. It felt so good. Each time he moved out and back in was pure bliss. This was what she’d been missing out on for so long, but it was worth the wait to be with a man like Jaime, a man she cared about the way she did him. It was more than just sex and that’s what she’d always needed it to be. What he was giving her was special in ways that he likely wouldn’t understand… though it often surprised him how well Jaime understood her. 

He continued to move slow and Brienne felt a stirring inside her. It started barely noticeable but before long it threatened to consume her completely. Jaime held her hips and pushed deep, over and over again. She heard sounds… and eventually realized they were coming from her and she couldn’t control them even if she wanted to. He was making noises too and hearing them only made the flames inside her burn even hotter. “Holy fuck,” he groaned. 

Brienne felt dizzy and there was a blackness threatening to engulf her. It wasn’t a scary blackness though, it was welcoming her, beckoning to her and she wanted to run to it. “Oh God,” she gasped when it finally took her. Her body jerked and waves of desire flowed through her, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Never had it been like that before. Not when she’d made herself come, not what Jaime had just done in the tub… whatever just happened to her body was magical, unforgettable and simply… overwhelming. 

The tears came. She didn’t want to cry. She wasn’t sad. She wasn’t scared or anything else that would warrant tears. But why couldn’t she stop? Lost in her own mind it took a moment before she realized that Jaime was holding her, stroking her hair and she was crying against his chest. He wasn’t… he wasn’t inside her anymore. Oh fuck. “Did I… did I ruin it?” she asked, looking up at him. “Did I fuck it up for you?” 

Jaime took her face in his hands, “No. No, not even close. It was amazing… you… you were perfect.” All kinds of thoughts flooded her at once and thankfully the crying stopped. Her body felt relaxed and warm. Jaime looked happy… satisfied even. “Come,” he said gently. “I have another surprise, but you need to put some clothes on first - I have a one track mind and your naked body is far too distracting.” 

Brienne grabbed his t-shirt off the floor and slipped it on, then went into the bathroom and put on her underwear. That’ll do, she decided. When she returned to the other room he had thrown on a pair of jogging pants, but was still shirtless. “Voila,” he said, presenting a delicious looking spread. There were strawberries, whipped cream, melted chocolate and little bite sized desserts. Jaime picked up a berry, dipped it in chocolate and then offered it to her to bite. With a little laugh she leaned forward and opened her mouth. It ended up rather messy, but the sweet chocolate and juicy berry were amazing. She went to lick her lips but Jaime got there first with a long, sticky kiss. When he backed away they both darted out their tongues to lick at the chocolate. 

Brienne bit her lip and then reached out and dipped her finger in the chocolate. She gave Jaime a look and then went to put it in her mouth. But he caught her hand and drew her finger to his lips. He darted out his tongue and licked the tip of her finger, then put the whole thing in his mouth and sucked. It was shocking how sensual it was, so warm and wet… Jaime caught her eye and his look made her blush. It was becoming clear why men enjoyed having their dicks sucked. 

They continued to play their game of feeding each other until it ended on a kiss that moved them to the couch for an intense make out session. She would have fucked him again - she wanted to, so badly. But there was something so erotic about the way they were grinding on each other, with clothes still between them… and she just didn’t want to stop. She knew he was hard again and the knowledge drove her wild for much longer than she would have believed she had the patience for. 

Blissfully Jaime’s patience wore out before hers. “You wanna?” That was all he had to say and she was nodding eagerly. He pretty much ran to get a condom and within seconds his pants were around his ankles, the rubber was on and he was bending her over the side of the couch. Her panties weren’t even half down before he shoved into her desperately. It was so good to know he was just as eager as she was, maybe even more. 

Their first time had been so different from the furious fucking that was happening right then. Both were incredible though. She really liked the inhibition of what was happening, but she also loved the sweetness of the romantic sex earlier. Not surprisingly her orgasm was different too, it came fast and hit her hard without the same build as the last time. And this time she was through long before him so she got to enjoy even more fucking before Jaime finally came, squeezing her ass and hips hard as he grunted and pushed deep inside her. 

“The clothing didn’t seem to prevent that from occurring,” Brienne panted as they both started to dress again after. 

Jaime chuckled, “I suppose it was inevitable, but at least we made it longer than I expected we would.” He visibly tried to fight it but Jaime yawned, which made her yawn too. “Sorry,” he said. “Perhaps I should blow out all these candles before we both fall asleep and burn the hotel down.” 

Brienne helped him. There were a lot of candles, surely close to 100 in total. It was crazy and it was unbelievable what he’d put together for her. Sure, he was rich and powerful. He could snap his fingers and people would do anything he asked. He had an ego and could be completely full of himself sometimes. But he had made the entire night about her and showed just how selfless and gallant he could be. Brienne wouldn’t expect it every time, but just knowing what he was capable of was special. 

The scent of the candle smoke was strong as they blew out every last one, stripped naked and then climbed into bed. Brienned scooted over and put her head on his chest. “Thank you,” she said softly, as she traced a finger along his bare skin. 

“I wanted tonight to be memorable…” he started. “What the fuck?” Jaime yelled as water started to spray all over them and the fire alarm sounded. Brienne started to laugh, so hard she had tears in her eyes. They were getting soaked and still she laughed until Jaime was laying there laughing with her. “We should probably get out of here before the fireman bust down our door,” he said, barely able to keep it together enough to talk. 

“You wanted it to be memorable,” Brienne snorted. “Maybe a few less candles next time, hmm?” They jumped out of bed and grabbed the robes off the floor. They were a bit damp, but would have to do. Somehow as they headed out into the hallway with all the other sleepy faces wondering what was going on Brienne didn’t seem to care she was wandering around in public with only a white terrycloth robe. With or without the crazy ending… it was certainly a night she would never forget.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And shit just got real... LOL Enjoy!!!

The rest of their time off in New Orleans had been incredible, but slowly things were getting back to normal for Jaime, and a new normal for her. The first two days back on tour she’d been working but that afternoon Gregor took her shift and for the first time since she’d started working for Jaime she would actually get to enjoy the show as a fan, well, a backstage girlfriend/fan. 

The band had a lot of fun at Jaime’s expense when they found out the two of them were together for real. But it was good natured and obvious they were genuinely happy for Jaime, and for her, even though Tormund made it very clear he thought he was a much better option. 

They still had about an hour to kill before sound check. Jaime had been working on a new song, but he was putting his guitar away. “I have a surprise for you, I think you’ll like it,” he said with a smile. Brienne gave him a curious look. She couldn’t even guess what it could possibly be. Brienne followed him off the bus with a nervous flutter in her stomach. He led her inside and to the wings of the stage where the huge instrument cases sat. 

“The very first day I met you,” Jaime started as he picked up his gorgeous guitar. “You were playing this,” he handed it to her. Brienne took it. She could still remember how it felt, the weight and the perfect balance. “I watched you for much longer than you probably knew,” he admitted. 

Brienne blushed. “I still can’t believe I had the nerve to touch your guitar, especially this one.” She put the strap over her shoulder and fingered the strings lightly. 

“I’m glad you did,” he said softly. “It was magical watching you. And then I had to pretend you pissed me off… although I suppose it wasn’t terribly difficult right then given the level of jealousy I felt at that point.” 

“Jealousy? Ha,” Brienne scoffed. What could he possibly have had to be jealous of? 

“I’m serious,” Jaime said passionately. “You’re incredible. So good. But it was more than that. You had such respect for the instrument and I could tell you felt it… that surreal thing that happens when you play that guitar. Not many people have played it, but I’ve never seen anyone who feels it like I do - only you.” Brienne knew exactly what he was referring to. Even just wearing the guitar and touching the strings she could feel something special radiating from it. “I know I said it was a surprise for you, but if I’m being honest it’s a selfish one. Will you play for me?” 

Brienne looked at his face, so open, honest and eager. He really wanted to hear her play again. It was such a huge compliment she was momentarily speechless. “It would be my honour,” she said finally. 

“Do you know my song - I Dreamed of You?” He asked. It was a dumb question, everyone knew that song. It was Kingslayer’s most popular hit by far. They always played it last for their first encore song and the crowd went crazy. 

“Of course I do,” she laughed. 

Jaime smiled and looked pleased. “Will you play the riff?” 

Brienne nodded and they walked out onto the stage. Jaime left her in the middle and he went out to the soundboard. She let him fiddle a bit with the controls and finally he gave her the thumbs up. She gave one light strum to check the volume - it was perfect and the sound filled her heart with joy. 

It was only a matter of seconds into the song before she was completely lost in the music. It was like the guitar became a part of her body and carried her away to the most blissful place on earth. The riff was quite long but it felt like it was over in no time at all. Brienne couldn’t stop though. She shifted into a medley of five different classics. Her fingers played every single chord perfectly as if she’d been playing her entire life. 

The guitar felt like it was made for her and Brienne was so thankful he gave her the chance to experience it again. When she took her last strum and let the sound fade off Brienne finally opened her eyes. She hadn’t even seen anyone else come in, but the entire middle front row was filled and they were all on their feet cheering and clapping. Tormund, Sandor… the entire band, Missy, Bronn, Sansa, Dany, Sam, the other security guys, and even Jaime’s little brother Tyrion. She didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. She knew exactly what Jaime had done for her - he gave her a little taste of that moment she’d dreamed of the night her music career came to an end. 

“You jerk,” she said, wiping away a stupid, embarrassing tear as Jaime joined her on stage and hugged her. “Thank you,” she whispered as she hugged him back. 

“If you ever want that moment during a show… with thousands of screaming fans, you just say the word,” he said, drawing back to look at her. “You’re better than all of us and you deserve the chance because I know without a doubt I would be buying every one of your records if some stupid jealous jerks hadn’t ruined it all.” 

Brienne shook her head. “That was enough, more than enough.” It really was all she needed at that point. She turned to the little crowd. “Thank you guys so much.” They all cheered again and Brienne took a little bow. Then she started to feel a bit awkward from the attention. “Now I think it’s time you guys got to work, hmm?” She said, taking off the guitar and handing it to Jaime. He took it from her and kissed her on the cheek, ignoring the instant teasing. 

The band started to work and Brienne joined Tyrion to watch for a bit. “You’re better than Jaime and he knows it,” he said as she sat down beside him. 

“Even if that’s true, he’s the whole package… I can’t sing like that… and look at him,” Brienne smiled and glanced over at Tyrion. 

“It is true, believe me. The part that’s baffling is… he knows and he doesn’t care. He’s still happy and I think he’s in love with you.” Tyrion’s admission took her back. “Jaime has always wanted to be the best and right now, to the world, he is. But if the world saw you play they would know you’re better… and Jaime would still be happy. That’s how I know he’s falling for you.” 

The rest of the night all she could think about were Tyrion’s words. She tried to see it, but something inside wouldn’t let her. Maybe it was fear or just a defense mechanism, but she just wasn’t ready to let herself believe Jaime was actually falling in love with her. On the other hand… she knew she had fallen for him. Brienne was completely in love and it was every bit as incredible as it was terrifying. 

Brienne loved every minute of the show. It was amazing to be able to just watch it without having to worry about scanning the crowd for security issues that needed to be dealt with. She actually got to focus just on Jaime. He knew where she was watching and when he sang the most romantic line at the end of I Dreamed of you he looked right over at her… _and when my dream came true I fell even deeper in love with you._ Somehow through the lights and the smoke Brienne was sure their eyes actually met for a moment. She smiled and he smiled back at her… and then it was over, like the blink of an eye. 

After the show they followed the usual routine, except she surprised Jaime by climbing into the shower with him. He took her up against the wall to start with the hot water washing over them both. Their lovemaking was frequent. Brienne loved how it seemed like they could never get enough of each other. She craved him and she knew Jaime craved her just as much. The sex was so good. It was different every time but always so erotic and satisfying. 

They ended up finishing in bed after quickly drying off. Jaime kissed her so sensually, while he fucked her slow and deep. “Look at me,” he said, when he knew she was about to come. Somehow Brienne fought off the urge to close her eyes and held his gaze while her body experienced so much bliss. “Don’t look away,” he said as she felt the last of her orgasm fading away. He did the same for her while he came and it made her heart ache from the intimacy of sharing such ecstasy with him. For a moment she allowed herself to believe what Tyrion said to be true and it was easy to see it. But the second they were done she put her defenses back up again - just to be safe. 

“I am so wired right now,” Jaime moaned as he flopped on his back. Brienne chuckled and then stifled a yawn. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep.” She yawned again and he grinned at her before reaching out to stroke her cheek. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to ride my motorcycle with the stalker and all…” Her brushed her face with his thumb. “Do you mind if I go for a quick ride before bed? Maybe the fresh air will help and I’ll feel sleepy when I get back.” 

“Go ahead,” Brienne said, yawning a third time. She was exhausted and would likely be sleeping long before he got back. She watched him get dressed and wave bye and then put her head on the pillow. Oddly she didn’t fall asleep right away. Instead she continued to think even more about her chat with Tyrion. 

 

Sometime later, close to an hour she was surprised to find, Brienne heard Jaime’s phone buzzing and rolled over to see who was calling. It was Bronn so she answered it. “Hey. Jaime went for a ride, but he should be back soon, want me to have him call you?” 

“Brienne, Dany is on her way to pick you up. Be ready.” There was something in his voice that made her stomach turn instantly. 

“Bronn? What’s going on?” She knew she didn’t want to know the answer. 

“Jaime was in an accident. We’re all meeting at the hospital. The police said… they said… He… he was asking for you...” The phone slipped out of her trembling hand and Brienne scrambled to get dressed. She should have run out the door to wait for Dany but instead she had something she needed to do first. Brienne dropped to her knees, bowed her head and she prayed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh okay, so if you're familiar with my writing you'll know I SUCK at angst. This chapter will highlight how bad I am at writing angst. It lasts like 5 seconds before I have to resolve it. It's kind of embarrassing. Anyway, I'm really excited for the twist at the end and the new direction the story will take starting with the next chapter :)

“Where is he?” Brienne asked, the moment she saw Bronn and the others in the waiting room. 

“They took him for surgery,” Bronn replied, looking very grave. 

“Surgery? For what? What happened? How serious is this?” Brienne let all the questions fly out of her mouth in rapid fire style. She couldn’t help it, she was terrified and needed information as quickly as possible. 

“Brienne, sit down,” Bronn said. The sea of people parted to clear a path to the nearest chair. 

“Just tell me,” she insisted, completely frustrated. “I don’t need to sit down.” 

Bronn sighed and she looked around at the rest of the faces in the room. The same faces that had been in the audience only hours earlier when Jaime let her play his prized guitar. “It’s his hand. He might lose it,” Bronn said. 

Relief washed over her, hitting her so hard she started to laugh. It wasn’t funny. There was nothing funny about any of it, but the shock, the nerves and the terror that Jaime had been fatally injured had her acting crazy. “I’m sorry. But you said his hand… you made me think he was going to die.” Somehow the laughter turned to anger in a second and she smacked Bronn on the chest. “You fucking made me think he was going to die,” she snapped. 

Brienne felt like she was going insane. Her emotions were all over the place. “You don’t know Jaime… he’s gonna wish he was dead if he loses his hand,” Sandor said in a tone she’d never heard from him before. It wasn’t a joke or a sneer, it was serious and honest. 

“I do know Jaime,” she snapped. “I know he’s passionate and he’s focussed and he accomplishes whatever he sets his mind to.” Brienne looked around at all the sad faces. “What is wrong with you people? You should all be thankful he’s alive.” Someone tried to grab her arm but Brienne stormed away, shaking them off. His hand. His fucking hand. She didn’t even know which one. Was it his strumming hand or the hand he played chords with? It made a huge difference. 

She walked the halls of the hospital, lost in thought. She knew Jaime would be devastated if they couldn’t save his hand. It wasn’t going to be pretty. Sandor was probably right about Jaime wishing he’d died if he can’t play guitar anymore. But Brienne had so much more faith in him than the others seemed to. She was confident Jaime would get through it and find a new purpose if it came to that. 

It felt like an eternity before the doctor finally returned to the waiting room with news. She had set up camp close by to watch for him, but just didn’t feel up to rejoining the others until the doctor went in. “We couldn’t save it,” she heard, followed by gasps, sobs and a lot of sad looking people. “We did a full amputation at the left wrist. It will make him a great candidate for a prosthetic once it’s healed.” 

“Will he be able to play again?” Podrick piped up, asking the question they all wanted to know. 

The doctor shook his head slowly. “It’s his left hand… if it were his right, yeah there are definitely prosthetics out there now that would allow him to strum, even pick a bit… but there’s nothing that would let him play chords, at least not as quickly as he needs to…” 

The defeat on everyone’s face made Brienne want to vomit. She should have had more sympathy for them all. Not only was a good friend going through a huge loss, but their careers were all up in the air at this point as well. The rest of the tour would be canceled and their futures were all uncertain. But She just couldn’t feel it because all she could think about was Jaime and what he was going through. At the same time - he was alive after an accident that could have killed him. “When can I see him?” She asked. That’s all she really needed at that point. 

“It’s going to be a while before he wakes up and even when he does he’s on such strong pain killers that he’s not going to be able to communicate much. While he’s still out I’m unfortunately going to have to limit the visiting to family only. The rest of you are welcome to come back in a couple of days when he’s more alert and can decide for himself if he wants visitors,” the doctor replied. “Family can follow me and the rest of you should head home and get some sleep.” 

Brienne heard a lot of grumbling and angry comments but she was more focussed on whether or not she would get to see Jaime herself. That was until she felt a hand in hers. She looked down and saw Tyrion. “You’re family. Let’s go,” he said. 

“Thank you,” Brienne whispered, as they followed the doctor down the hall. They were let into Jaime’s room and they each went to one side of his bed. There were so many machines… His face had some cuts and bruises but otherwise he seemed to be resting peacefully. His hand was by his side and across his chest was his arm, wrapped in gauze, ending at a stump where his hand used to be. It wasn’t gross or anything, but her stomach lurched. There was no telling how Jaime was going to react when he woke up and saw it for himself. It wasn’t something she was looking forward to. 

She picked up his hand and held it. “We’re here Jaime, it’s me Brienne and Tyrion too.” He didn’t respond at all, but she wasn’t expecting him to. It just felt right to say something. They stood there silently for a long time. There wasn’t much more to say or do until Jaime woke up other than just be there for him. 

“I’m gonna go get some sleep, you probably should too,” Tyrion said after a little while. 

Brienne shook her head. “I want to be here when he wakes up. I don’t want him to wake up and go through it alone.” 

Tyrion nodded. “Will you call me if he wakes before I’m back?” 

“Of course. Immediately,” she promised. 

Once he left it was so quiet. Even when they weren’t talking it didn’t seem so still and quiet with another person in the room. It was only a few minutes before a nurse came in to check on Jaime. “Are you going to stay?” The woman asked. Brienne nodded. “I’ll get you a cot so you can rest some.” 

It wasn’t long before exhaustion took over and Brienne was out. She woke several hours later to Jaime yelling. “No… no… NO.” He was thrashing and pulling on cords and tubes. 

Brienne immediately jumped out of bed and went to him. “Hey, I’m here… it’s okay.” 

“It’s not okay,” Jaime yelled, his eyes wild and full of tears. “Look… look…” he waved the gauze in her face. “It’s gone. My fucking hand is gone.” By that time the nurses had arrived and they were putting something in his IV. Brienne watched him thrash a bit more, yelling and cursing and then it was over and he was sleeping again. 

“We gave him something to calm him. Hopefully when he wakes up again he’ll be less agitated,” the nurse explained. “The doctor will have someone from Psych come talk to him. Amputees go through a great deal of trauma, especially when they aren’t aware of what was done until they wake.” Brienne nodded and lay back down on the cot. She couldn’t get back to sleep, so she just lay there for a long time. Eventually she did drift off for a couple more hours. 

When she woke again, Jaime was still sleeping so she went to find a restroom. She freshened up as best she could and bought some gum from the vending machine for her breath and then went back to his room. He was starting to stir a bit so she called the nurse. It was a full hour of restless sleep before Jaime finally opened his eyes. He looked very confused at first, then kind of smiled when he saw her, but the smile disappeared when he looked at his hand. “I thought it was just a bad dream,” he mumbled. At least he wasn’t freaking out completely like the first time. “You should leave,” he said, not even bothering to look at her. 

The nurse seemed satisfied Jaime wasn’t going to go nuts so she left them alone. “I’m not going anywhere,” Brienne replied stubbornly. 

Jaime looked at her and his eyes flashed. “Just go,” he snapped. 

“Go where?” she asked taking a step closer. 

“I don’t know. I don’t care. Go home… it’s over. It’s all over,” Jaime spat bitterly. “My life. My career. Us… it’s over.” 

“What does you losing a hand have to do with us?” Brienne asked gently. She didn’t want to agitate him or upset him more, but he had to know he was being ridiculous. 

“I’m a fucking cripple. I’m nothing without my hand… without being able to play… You deserve better,” he said, looking away from her. 

Brienne moved right to his bedside and took his hand in hers. “How about you let me decide what I do and don’t deserve, okay?” Jaime tried to pull away but she held tight and finally he gave in. “Right now I’m going to go call your brother because I promised I would tell him when you woke up.” 

“I don’t want to see him. Or you. Or anyone,” Jaime mumbled. 

“I know he’s little but I don’t think there’s much you or anyone can do to keep Tyrion from visiting. It seems stubbornness is a family trait,” she teased. Jaime didn’t reply. That was the start of a very long period of silence. 

Tyrion came right away but Jaime refused to talk to him. Bronn and the band visited and still he wouldn’t speak. One by one everyone stopped by, but no one could get him to respond to anything. The next day Brienne had the pleasure of meeting Jaime’s sister, Cersei. Thankfully Tyrion was also there at the time. “As soon as you’re released you’ll come stay with me,” she gushed, sitting on Jaime’s bedside. “You can stay as long as you need, we’ll see you get the best care and we’ll have you fitted for a prosthetic, the best one on the market.” Brienne watched the exchange with chills running down her spine. Would Jaime actually agree to live with his sister? “Jaime… Jaime??” It took her than long of listening to her own voice before she even noticed Jaime wasn’t speaking. “Talk to me, say something,” she demanded. “What’s wrong with him?” she asked Tyrion angrily. 

“He’s been like this for a while,” he said with a shrug. 

“Jaime,” Cersei snapped at him. “Talk to me, now.” 

Finally Brienne couldn’t take it any longer. “Leave him alone,” she growled angrily. “He doesn’t want to talk and he doesn’t have to. Just leave him alone.” 

“Excuse me?” Cersei said, standing up. “Who the hell are you to tell me to leave my brother alone? You’ve known him for what? A few weeks? I’ve known him my whole life.” 

“Then you should know he won’t speak until he’s ready so how about you just stop harassing him then,” Brienne replied icily. 

She could tell Cersei was seething, but she didn’t care. “Get out,” Cersei demanded. “Either you leave or I’ll have you removed. You’re not family, you shouldn’t be here all the time.” 

 

“Cersei,” Tyrion tried to interrupt. 

“You’re nothing more than a gold digger anyway I bet,” she continued, moving closer. “You just want his money and you…” 

“Stop,” Jaime yelled. “Get out, all of you. Now.” Cersei tried to protest, but he wasn’t having none of it. “Go,” he screamed loudly. Brienne did as she was asked and left the room. Cersei and Tyrion weren’t far behind. She took off down the hall, avoiding any further confrontation with Cersei. Brienne wandered for close to an hour and then she worked her way back to Jaime’s room. He was stubborn but so was she and she wouldn’t go away that easily. She poked her head inside the door. “Hey,” she said softly. Jaime looked up at her. “Can I come in?” He nodded and she wandered over to his bedside. “I’m sorry about that. She’s your sister and I shouldn't have pushed like that.” 

Jaime surprised her by smiling. It was the first time he’d smiled in so long and it was beautiful. “It was actually kind of funny thinking back, but I just needed to be alone for a bit.” He looked at her and smirked, “You’ve got balls standing up to her like that.” 

“I’m not scared of her,” Brienne shrugged. It felt good to talk to him and she didn’t want to waste it talking about Cersei. “Jaime… how are you doing? You haven’t spoke to anyone, we don’t know what you’re thinking… everyone is worried.” 

He sighed. “I feel like my life is over Bri. I’m angry and scared and I feel so… lost…” 

She suddenly had an idea and prayed he would cooperate. “I want you to do something for me,” she said as she went to the door and closed it. “I want you to sing.” 

Jaime shook his head. “I can’t.” 

“Why not?” she pushed. “Music is in your heart and soul. Pick a song. Any song you want and sing it to me.” 

He hesitated but she could tell he was considering her request. She needed him to see that he was so much more than a guitar player. His voice was incredible and he was very underrated for his singing because his guitar had always overshadowed his voice. He was a songwriter too, a very talented one. “Okay,” Jaime nodded. Brienne pulled a chair up to his bedside and waited for him to begin. His voice started off a bit hoarse, but by the second line of the song it was perfect… _“We hadn’t driven very far. There in the road, straight ahead, a car was stalled the engine was dead. I couldn’t stop so I swerved to the right, I’ll never forget the sound that night. The squealing tires, the busting glass, the painful scream that I heard last.”_

It took a moment to sink in, but when Brienne realized what song he’d picked she started to feel sick. The lyrics of the Pearl Jam cover were so eerily similar to his own accident in parts. He had come around a corner and swerved to avoid a stopped car. The rain was pouring down when they found him in the ditch. She’d heard the story, not from him, from Bronn who was told by the police. She pushed the lyrics out of her mind for a moment and listened instead to the passion in his voice. She looked at his face and saw the joy he felt from his connection to the music. Maybe this will work after all, she thought. 

On the second chorus he opened his eyes and looked at her. It was clear he was singing right to her. _“Oh where or where can my baby be, the Lord took her away from me. She’s gone to Heaven so I’ve got to be good, so I can see my baby when I leave this world.”_ Something strange was going on that she didn’t understand. By the time he finished the song there were tears in his eyes. 

“Jaime?” Brienne stood and moved to his bedside again. “What’s going on? What happened there? Why are you crying?” 

“You’re alive. You’re here,” he whispered, grasping for her hand. She gave it to him, but she was still so confused. “Bri… I almost asked you to come ride with me. I wanted to take you but you just seemed so tired, so I didn’t ask… If you were on the bike with me… Oh God… I could have killed you.” The tears spilled over and rolled down his cheeks. “I’ve done nothing but whine and bitch and moan about losing my hand… when I should be thankful you weren’t on that bike with me. Losing my hand is nothing compared to how I would feel if I lost you.” 

“It’s okay… It’s okay, I’m here. I’m fine,” she mumbled, leaning in to hug him against her chest. This wasn’t what she’d been expecting at all when she asked him to sing. The intended effect was the same, but it certainly took a turn she hadn’t anticipated. 

“Bri… promise me something?” He drew back and looked up at her. “When they let me out of here… I want you to take me home.” 

“You don’t want to stay with Cersei?” she asked, trying not to smile. 

“Oh fuck no, that was never gonna happen,” he said, shaking his head. 

“I promise,” Brienne replied. “But I don’t even know where your house is,” she added. They had spent all their time together on the road sleeping on the bus or in hotels. She had no idea where he actually called home. 

“No, not my home,” Jaime replied. “I wanna go to yours. You said you’re from a small town in the middle of nowhere… you said your dad owns a ranch… I want to go there. I want to get away from all the people and the noise and the insanity. I just wanna be Jaime for a while, not Jaime Lannister, lead singer of Kingslayer. Will you please take me home Bri? Will you?” 

Brienne cupped his face and nodded. “Of course I will,” she whispered before pressing her lips gently to his.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided with the drastic change in the fic at this point that it might be a good time to really shake things up and come at it from a diff POV. So for the next several chapters I will switch over to Jaime’s POV. I hope no one is too upset by that decision :)

“Separate rooms? Really?” Jaime asked in a hushed whisper once him and Brienne were alone in the guest room. “He knows we’re fucking right?” He wandered over and slipped his arm around her waist, drawing her against him. It always felt so good to hold her, but they hadn’t had a chance to be intimate since before his accident so he was craving her - badly. 

“Shh,” Brienne hissed, breaking free to close the door. Unfortunately she wasn’t closing it for the reason he’d hoped, just to make sure her dad didn’t hear them talking. “You’re lucky he actually let you stay in the house,” she whispered. “There are plenty of extra bunks out where the employees sleep.” 

“Well, we’re alone now,” he said, wandering over to her once again. They weren’t even touching and he could feel the electricity between them. He’d tried to talk her into joining the mile high club on the plane, but they agreed it would be nearly impossible for them to both fit in the tiny washroom, let alone have sex in there too. He made another attempt as they drove down miles and miles of two lane country road, with scarcely another car to be seen. She just laughed. Apparently she’d thought he was kidding. 

Jaime reached around and grabbed her ass, trying to ignore how fucking annoying it was that he only had one hand to grab her with. Brienne smiled at him, but wiggled away. “Stop,” she said with a giggle. “I can’t do it here… with him out there…” She blushed pink. Jaime had to remind himself that this was all so new for her and he needed to be patient when she was bashful. 

He groaned and pouted anyway. Then he changed the subject in hopes his dick would calm down. “You weren’t kidding when you said this place was in the middle of nowhere.” It was a two hour drive from the airport and he hadn’t seen anything that resembled a town for the last 40 miles of the trip. It was perfect though. He didn’t have to worry about paparazzi or mobs of screaming fans. He might get recognized once in awhile, but a selfie or two and a few autographs would be nothing compared to what he would have dealt with if he’d gone to either of his houses. 

“You see why I needed to get away?” She asked with a smile. 

“No,” he replied honestly. “This place is incredible. We’ve only been here less than an hour and I’m in love.” Jaime had spent his entire life in cities. He drove through little towns on his bus, usually while he was sleeping or too busy writing and rehearsing to even pay any attention to the beauty and peacefulness. The air smelled different and felt lighter. There were trees and grass and huge fields of wildflowers. No tall buildings or smog or public transportation. And the ranch itself was beautiful. It was rustic, yet quite luxurious at the same time. Clearly Brienne’s father was well off. 

“Just wait until daddy puts us to work,” Brienne grumbled. “Have you ever got up to muck stalls at 5am?” 

Jaime shook his head but smiled. “I don’t know how much help I’m going to be, but I’ll do my best,” he said eagerly. It was going to take some adjusting to get used to an early start, but he would get to see the sun rise every morning, see the dew on the grass before it was burned away, and hear the roosters crowing. 

“Why do you look like that?” Brienne asked, narrowing her eyes. 

“Like what?” he asked. 

“You look happy at the thought of shovelling shit before the sun comes up… Jaime, have you ever actually worked… I mean I know you’ve worked, but like… manual labour?” She looked amused. “I have a feeling the only calluses your hands have ever seen are from guitar strings.” 

“Well I guess it’s a good thing I only have one hand to callus up then isn’t it?” He replied with a scowl. 

“Oh fuck, oh shit… I’m sorry. Sometimes I just don’t thin..” Jaime cut her off with a kiss. “Mmm, I can’t…” She pulled away. 

“I was just messing with you,” he said. “I have one hand now…it is what it is,” Jaime shrugged. “I’m not going to get upset or offended by slips and I think I’m almost ready to start making jokes.” He smirked and then proved his point, “Why did the man with one hand cross the road?” 

“No… don’t… no… it’s gonna be sooooo bad,” Brienne shook her head, clearly trying not to smile. 

“Wait for it…” He paused for dramatic effect. “To get to the _second hand_ shop.” 

She stared at him and he stared back… then slowly her face cracked and she giggled. “That wasn’t even funny, I don’t know why I’m laughing,” she snorted. Brienne had the most infectious laugh he’d ever heard. It was big and energetic and very girly, which was often a huge contrast to her dress and mannerisms. Jaime loved it and would do anything to hear that sound. Unfortunately it was having a very different effect on him than usual. His dick was stirring again and he wanted her so bad. 

Jaime reached for her hand and moved it to his groin area. She stopped laughing immediately and looked at him, wide eyed. Her eyes were magnificent, so expressive and clear. He was already hard and he knew she could feel his erection through the jogging pants he was wearing. He couldn’t do up a pair of jeans yet, so his wardrobe consisted of anything with an elastic waistband that he could just pull on. “Bri, please… I know you want it too,” he whispered. He knew because she hadn’t pulled away and he knew because he could see it in the lusty way she was gazing back at him. 

“Not here… not in the house,” she replied, shaking her head. “I just can’t… it’s too weird…” 

“Imagine we’re somewhere else,” he said, reaching out to touch one of her breasts. Brienne moaned softly. 

She shook her head again. “Not here,” she repeated. “But… come on,” Brienne said, pulling her hand away as she turned to leave. But before she took a step she looked back over her shoulder and whispered, “I bet the one and only Jaime Lannister has never rolled in the hay… literally.” 

Jaime scrambled for a condom from his suitcase. Fucking zippers. He shoved it in his pocket and practically ran after her, hoping his boner wouldn’t be as obvious as it felt if they ran into her dad on the way out of the house. “Dad, we’ll be back at dinner time. I’m gonna show Jaime around outside,” Brienne called out loudly, making a beeline for the front door. Somewhere inside the house Selwyn told them to have fun. Oh, if he only knew just how much fun they intended on having. 

There were several workers wandering around doing various chores and many of them spoke to Brienne, though she did a pretty good job of not stopping to chat. Jaime was wondering how they were going to find a place to be alone with so many people moving about, but clearly she knew exactly where she was going. “Come on,” she whispered, peeking around to make sure no one was watching as she snuck into a rough looking barn. He followed her inside and Brienne pulled the door shut. “This barn hasn’t been used in years… no one will come in here.” 

That was all she had to say and Jaime was on her. This time she didn’t resist. In fact, she was eager. The kissing was fine, even more than fine, it was incredible. It had been so long since they’d done anything more than a peck on the lips. 

Brienne had been amazing at the hospital. He was there for a full two weeks. She’d held his hand through moments of such intense pain he wasn’t sure he would survive. She’d stayed by his side when he yelled and screamed and cried. He’d wanted to give up so many times. He’d begged her to leave him and forget about him, yet she stayed right by his side and took everything he could possibly throw at her. He’d been cruel at times, saying anything he could think of to make her go, trying to make her hate him so she could move on with her life. But he was lucky because Brienne was stubborn - stubborn as a fucking mule. And she was smart. She knew what he was trying to do and she wouldn’t let it happen. He’d put her through agony until the day he finally realized she wasn’t going anywhere. 

That was the day he finally broke down completely in her arms. He apologized many times for the way he’d treated her. He sobbed against her chest and swore he would never try to push her away again. He told her everything he was feeling, all his fears and insecurities. He tried to explain how it felt to have excruciating pain in a hand that wasn’t even there anymore. He told her how he felt like he was losing his mind. And she listened. She just held him and she listened. Then when he was all done, spent both physically and emotionally she kissed him on the forehead and she said, “I believe in you.” 

Those words got him through the rest of his time in the hospital. He opened up to the therapists, he started to work with physio, he even agreed to start looking at prosthetics and picked out a couple to eventually try. The doctors agreed to send all of his information to a clinic in Memphis, which was where they’d just flown into and was the closest major city to the ranch. There were going to be a lot of trips into Memphis and Jaime already knew he was going to dread leaving the peace and calm to attend appointments. 

Amidst all the turmoil in the hospital, even when he finally calmed down and started to come around, he hadn’t had a moment to kiss Brienne the way he was kissing her right then. He’d dreamed of it. He’d looked over at her sleeping in the cot beside his bed and thought of reaching for her so many times, but what could they do right there where anyone could walk in at any time? 

But now, finally, they were completely alone. He explored her sweet mouth with his tongue, tasting and savouring her. He tugged her up flush against him, craving her warmth, feeling almost delirious from how much he needed her. Everything felt perfect… for a while. 

He lifted his left arm to grab her breast… but could only paw at her with his stump. Brienne didn’t seem to notice or care, but he did. That’s when the panic set in. How will I get her clothes off? How will I get my own fucking clothes off? I can’t even open the damn condom or put it on, he thought as he pulled away from her.

“Jaime? What’s going on?” She asked, her eyes filled with concern. “Are you in pain?” He shook his head and she looked confused. “What’s wrong?” 

“I can’t… I can’t do it,” he mumbled. 

“Oh,” she looked disappointed. “I know it’s not really the nicest spot… there should be some straw over in the corner…” 

“It’s not the barn,” he replied. He felt so much anger and conflict inside him. He wanted to fuck her so badly, but he just couldn’t do it fumbling around like a crippled fool. 

“What is it? Talk to me,” she pleaded. “You told me everything when we were in the hospital, this is no different. Tell me what’s wrong, let me help.” 

“I can’t…” he sighed. “Oh fine, I can’t do stuff… how will I get your shirt off or your pants undone?” Brienne looked him in the eye and then pulled her shirt off over her head and undid the button and fly on her jeans. “Or my own…” he added, muttering and feeling ashamed. She took a step forward and reached for his shirt, then pulled it off over his head. Then she pulled his pants down until they were hanging around his ankles. She stepped back and gave him a look as if to say now what’s the problem? “I feel like a big fucking failure. I want this so bad and I can’t even fuck you properly,” he whined. 

“You’ll get better with practice,” she replied with a shrug. “For now, you just let me help.” Brienne reached out and touched his face. “You tell me what you want and what you need me to do. And stop feeling sorry for yourself,” she added sharply. 

It wasn’t a tone to be argued with. He was having a pity party and it was terrible timing. The only thing he should have been focusing on was how much he wanted her. Somewhere inside he found the strength to get his shit together and this time when he spoke it was calm and confident, “Take off your bra.” 

Brienne smiled and reached around behind her back. She undid the clasp and then pulled the material away. Jaime stared at her beautiful tits and felt his groin area tighten. Maybe this will work out just fine after all, he thought, as he tried to decide what he wanted her to do next…


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm sorry this took sooooo long. Between starting my new job and my mom being in the hospital I just haven't been in the right frame of mind to write more than a few paragraphs at a time. So I must also apologize for the quality of this chapter. It's not my best work, by far. I hope you can still enjoy it some. Thanks for reading!

Jaime kicked off his shoes and stepped out of his pants, then he bent down and dug the condom out of the pocket. He tucked it into the waistband of his underwear and then turned his focus back to Brienne. “Turn around,” he instructed her. She did as he asked and Jaime moved up behind her until his groin was settled nicely against her warm ass. He ignored how strange it felt to put his arm on her hip with no hand to grope her with and instead focussed on everything he got to touch with the hand he had left. 

He started with a breast and gave it a light squeeze. Brienne leaned back against him and moaned, arching her back just a bit. It pulled her ass just slightly away from his dick and he used his arm to draw her back because he couldn’t bear to lose contact with her in that area, even though there were still clothes between them. Jaime moved down her stomach with his hand flat on her skin, he went lower and lower until he felt her panties and then slipped his hand right inside. 

Brienne gasped as his fingers touched her sex. The first thing he noticed was how wet she was and it made his body shudder just thinking about how good it was going to feel to push his dick into her. He dipped his middle finger into her slit and then curled it up to very lightly stroke her clit. “Does that feel good,” he whispered into her ear. 

“Mmm hmm,” she whimpered. Jaime kissed her neck and she moaned. He loved the expressive sounds she made and they somehow turned him on even more, which he hadn’t even realized was possible at that point. His cock was throbbing, aching to get inside her, but Jaime had the opportunity to be completely in charge and he wanted to get himself in check so he could make it amazing for them both. 

“We’re gonna move to the corner,” he said softly, nudging her forward as he continued to play with her pussy. It was slow going as they walked together towards the bed of straw he was going to fuck her on. When they made it and stopped he rubbed her a little more and then pulled his hand out of her pants. Brienne made a little huffing sound and turned around, clearly disappointed. Maybe she’d been close to coming? In his experience she wasn’t that difficult to make orgasm. That could change over time, but he was certainly enjoying the thrill of pushing her over the edge, sometimes more than once during a single encounter. 

“Take off the rest of your clothes,” he said, keeping his voice low and sultry. “Then help me get my underwear off.” Brienne nodded and obediently did everything he asked her to do. The was she was following his commands, in her slightly shy and demure way was so hot. He didn’t know if she was playing it up or if it was natural, but he didn’t care. Before she pulled down his underwear Jaime grabbed the condom. He watched her pull the waistband over his erection and shivered when her cheek grazed his dick as she bent to push them down. 

Jaime finished by kicking them off and then looked at her, standing before him completely nude, eyes wide, waiting her next task. Her skin was so white and creamy. He knew just how soft every inch of her was. The was so much innocence in her still, even with all the very uninnocent things they had done together already. He could see her chest moving where her heart was pounding. He reached out and opened his hand, presenting her the little square packet. Brienne looked down at it and then back up at him, her cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink. “You… uh…you want me to do it?” 

The truth was - he wanted to lay her down and lick her pussy until she came all over his face, but his dick had other plans that included getting inside her as soon as possible. He would save the oral for later… maybe he would sneak into her room in the middle of the night and surprise her. Jaime held up his stump and shrugged, letting her know it was probably something she was going to need to get used to. 

He watched her take the condom with a shaky hand and quickly open it. She knew what she was doing, she’d seen him do it a few times, but still she hesitated. Brienne took a deep breath and then reached out for his dick. When her warm palm touched him Jaime felt his knees go weak and he groaned. Knowing the power she had over him with just her touch seemed to make Brienne relax and she put the condom on quickly and expertly as if she’d done it a million times. It’s not like it was a terribly difficult task or anything, but there was something really erotic about her doing it instead of him. 

Jaime grabbed her and pulled her in for a kiss. He was so eager to fuck her, but he wanted to try not to become a complete animal. The want and need he had for her was sometimes shocking. Quite honestly it terrified him to think about because he couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to restrain himself if there came a time she didn’t want him back. But he was reassured by the knowledge that he would never hurt her. He couldn’t. So he would do whatever was necessary to protect her - even from himself if it ever came to that. 

They kissed for a while and then his hand touched her ass and he couldn’t hold back any more. He squeezed her cheek and then gave it a little slap. “Lay down,” he said, tearing his mouth away. “I can’t wait any longer,” Jaime gasped. 

“Thank God,” she sighed, quickly lying down on the straw. Jaime was on her instantly. Her legs were already open for him and all he could see was her perfect little pussy that he needed to be inside. He found the restraint to move into her slowly, savouring every inch as he slid inside her. It felt so good that the condom didn’t even bother him as much as usual. One day though… one day he would get the chance to feel her with nothing between them. 

The emotion he felt while making love to Brienne was something new for him. Jaime really hadn’t been with that many women. He had a deep sense of loyalty and it just didn’t feel right to sleep around like most men in his position would - single or otherwise. But being with Brienne was different in ways he hadn’t expected, but adored. It wasn’t just because she’d been a virgin or because he knew he was the only man she’d ever been with - it had more to do with the way he felt about her. Jaime had known he was falling in love with her even before their first time. He actually wondered sometimes if he fell in love with her watching her play his guitar before he even knew her name. 

Everything that had happened since that moment had just made him love her more every second they were together. Yet he still hadn’t told her. He really hoped she knew from his actions, but chances were she needed to hear him say it. Brienne had insecurities that she didn’t need to have as far as he was concerned, but she had them nonetheless. But he vowed to treat her like she deserved in hopes that one say she would see how special she really was. He could have said it, right then, as he fucked her slowly, while she lay there looking so happy and blissful but something stopped him. Jaime’s ego hated to admit it but he was terrified she wouldn’t say it back. No, he needed to wait until he was sure she felt the same way because there was no telling how he would react if she couldn’t reciprocate. 

The one good thing about wearing a rubber was that it helped him last a little bit longer, which was definitely a plus with Brienne because she turned him on so much he often worried about coming five seconds after penetration. He kept things slow for a bit, but when he got the urge to move faster he pulled out instead. “Roll over,” he said. “Up on your hands and knees.” They’d never done it doggy style before and the straw had seemed soft enough on the knees for him. 

Brienne did as he asked and Jaime felt his hormones raging out of control when she presented her ass to him. “Is this okay?” she asked, turning to look at him over her shoulder. Jaime touched her ass and rubbed it, slowly in a circle. He resisted the urge to smack it, unsure of how she would react to that. Then he looked at her and nodded before bending his head to lick her pussy. He had to, he just couldn’t resist finding out how she tasted. Brienne gasped in shock first, but followed it immediately with a moan. As incredible as it was and as much as he wanted to stay there and enjoy her longer he needed to fuck her more. 

Jaime plunged into her and let go of all the restraint he’d been using since the start. He fucked her hard and fast, pounding into her with quick yet still deep thrusts. He was quite impressed with her strength and ability to brace herself, taking his pummeling without wavering one bit… until she came and her body got weak. Jaime slowed and help hold her around the waist as best he could with one hand. He wasn’t far off himself and both the extra lubrication and the contractions in her pussy were enough to finish him off. “Fuck,” he hissed as the orgasm hit him. His dick was deep inside her and he held it there as he came. It felt so good. So incredible. Perfect. 

When he let her go Brienne collapsed onto her stomach with a sigh and Jaime flopped down beside her on his back. “This roll in the hay thing… I think I like it,” he said, reaching for her hand. “Thank you,” Jaime added, meeting her eye. She knew exactly what he was thanking her for and she gave him a nod and little smile. 

“I wanna just lay here longer,” she sighed. “But we should probably get dressed and do a really quick tour incase my dad decides to quiz you.” 

“Do you think he’s gonna hate me?” Jaime asked as they started to put their clothes back on. 

“Oh I doubt it,” Brienne chuckled. “He’s been trying to set me up with men for years. Another reason I needed to get away from here.” She walked over and gave him a warm kiss. “All kidding aside… you’re one of the most charming men I’ve ever met. You’re smart and funny, you’re talented and successful… handsome and charming…” Brienne smiled. “He’s going to love you once he gets to know you - I promise.” 

Jaime took her hand and they left the old barn. She did a really quick tour and they started back towards the house. “You have horses,” he said excitedly. “I’ve always wanted to ride a horse. Oh, oh and cows… can you teach me how to milk one?” He was talking really fast and Brienne was looking at him like he was crazy. 

“You know they hook up cows to milking machines right?” She asked, looking rather amused. “We don’t milk 75 cows by hand.” 

He was thoroughly disappointed. “Well… couldn’t we just borrow one? A nice friendly one.” 

She continued to smile at him. “You know what women are like Lannister… you treat them right they’re friendly… you hurt them and you better watch your nuts.” 

They were both still laughing when they walked into the house. “Supper is almost ready,” Selwyn announced, meeting them in the foyer. “But before I forget, Brienne sweetie - a big package came for you while you two were off looking around. It’s in your room.” Brienne gave Jaime a curious look. He knew exactly what was in the package because he’d sent it. He trotted off after her extremely excited to watch her open it.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I really appreciate you being patient with me as I get my routine and schedule sorted out. I'll do my best to still get chapters out every few days though. I know the appeal of this fic for many is likely the quick updates so I'll try not to change that. Have a great night!

“Oh this is actually for you,” Brienne commented after she had opened the box and saw what was inside. Even the case the guitar rested in what an absolute work of art. It had to be worthy of what lay inside it and it certainly was. “Bronn must have just used my name when he shipped it,” she continued. “I’ll take it to your room?” she said in the form of a question. 

Jaime shook his head. “It’s not for me.” 

Brienne looked confused. “Of course it is, it’s your guitar.” 

He shook his head again. “No, it’s your guitar.” She stared at him, looking even more confused. “I had it shipped here - for you.” She still didn’t seem to be comprehending what he was saying. Jaime walked over and opened the case. He ran his fingers over the strings and then lifted it out. It broke his heart that he would never play it again, but it made it hurt a lot less knowing he was putting it into very capable and deserving hands. He held it out to her. “Take it Brienne.” 

“I can’t,” she whispered, wide eyed and in shock. “I can’t…” Even though her words were saying differently Brienne reached out with a trembling hand and took the guitar, as if there were some unknown force making her body do what it was supposed to do. “Jaime,” she said, looking up at him with her blue eyes glistening. “You should put it away… maybe one day…” 

“No,” he interrupted. “It’s a right handed guitar Bri. I’ll never play it again. The only thing that makes it easier for me to accept is knowing it’s in your hands now.” 

“But… but maybe you’ll have kids one day and you could give it to them… or maybe someone could reconstruct it…” she protested. 

He interrupted again. “This guitar deserves to be played and it deserves to be loved. I know you’ll do both.” Perhaps he was guilting her into something she didn’t want to do with that statement, but Brienne was so talented and she clearly loved playing. If this gift and a little bit of prodding got her playing again on a regular basis it was worth it. Jaime reached out and put his hand over hers. He met her eye and spoke softly, right from the heart, “It’s yours. It will always be yours.” 

Clearly she was struggling with words, so instead she put down the guitar, gently back into it’s case, and then kissed him. “I won’t let you down,” she whispered when they parted. He knew that was the truth. Brienne was so filled with loyalty and honour, when she gave her word on anything he didn’t doubt her one bit. 

“Did I hear something about supper?” Jaime asked as his stomach rumbled. 

She smiled. “You are about to have the best meal you’ve ever had, I promise.” From the smell when they’d come back in the house he had a feeling she was right. “Come. We all eat together. Nan cooks all day.” When they got to the dining room Jaime noticed that ‘Nan’ wasn’t actually old enough to be Brienne’s grandmother, so it must have just been a nickname. She looked about the same age as Brienne’s father and she was short, round and very jolly. 

Several of the people they had seen outside were sitting at the table already. Jaime found it a bit strange that the family was eating with the employees. That didn’t happen when he was a kid growing up in the Lannister household. It wasn’t that their employees weren’t treated kindly, but there were lines that didn’t get crossed. Jaime realized pretty quickly though that this group was one big family. They were all kind, welcoming and tried to draw him into their conversations whenever possible. They knew who he was, but they didn’t treat him any differently and he appreciated it deeply. It was amazing to just be an equal. 

The meal was incredible. There was so much food, but it went quickly. The others had been working all day and were even more starving than he was, but Jaime kept up. “How many biscuits have you eaten?” Brienne laughed, passing him another. 

“Five,” he replied sheepishly. “They’re so good,” he groaned, adding a thick layer of butter. 

“Nan even makes the butter from our cows,” Brienne said, watching him shove the biscuit into his mouth and chew. 

That got him thinking about his desire to milk a cow and he got lost in a little fantasy of him and Big Betsy, a bucket, stool and him being a cow milking rockstar. But in the fantasy he had two hands. “Oh shit,” he muttered. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him, but Jaime didn’t really notice. “Can I do it with one hand?” he muttered, making a hand gesture… that was supposed to look like he was pulling on a cow’s udder. 

“Jaime,” Brienne gasped. “What are you doing?” she hissed. 

One of the men at the far end of the table snorted. “I would think you’d be just fine with one hand,” he commented. “I’d also think you’d probably know by this point… it’s been a couple weeks hasn’t it?” 

That’s when Jaime clued into what he’d just done. “Oh God… no… not that…” He blushed. Normally he wasn’t bashful about much. But with an entire table of mostly strangers staring at him, including his girl friend’s dad, thinking he was talking about jerking off he was quite mortified. “No, I was… she said... we were talking about butter,” he started to ramble. “And that it was made from the cow’s milk… and then I was thinking about milking a cow…” They were all smirking at him, every single one of them. Jaime sighed. “I just wanna milk a damn cow,” he pouted. 

“Oh we have a cow you can milk,” an older man named Davos spoke up, looking quite amused. 

“Don’t you dare give him Betty Boop,” Brienne warned. 

“Betty Boop?” Jaime was intrigued. Brienne shook her head. “I’ll milk Betty Boop.” Brienne gave him a look and shook her head again, which some of the others started to chuckle. “Oh come on, how hard can it be? Besides,” he added. “Ladies love me. I’ll charm the… uh… spots off Miss Betty.” 

“Oh it’s a date then,” Davos piped up. “You and Betty. First thing tomorrow morning.” Jaime nodded eagerly. This was bucket list material and he was excited. The others chuckled a bit more but Jaime was oblivious. He was too giddy. 

“You have no idea what you just got yourself into,” Brienne said, leaning towards him. “But I’m going to make money off the youtube video of this shit show,” she added. “Jaime Lannister vs Betty Boop.” 

“It’ll be just fine,” he replied calmly. Would it? He wondered privately. Jaime was starting to get a bit nervous, but he refused to show anything but confidence. He knew his ego really made him stupid sometimes. 

When dinner was finished everyone helped clean up and then headed off to their sleeping quarters. It was only 830 and pretty much everyone had gone to bed, including Selwyn. Jaime slid over closer to Brienne on the couch they had sat on and touched her leg suggestively. “We can’t,” she hissed, giving him a look that told him she did want to, but she also had that stubborn set of her chin that also told him it wasn’t happening. “We should probably go to bed anyway… this is gonna be a really early wakeup call for you.” 

“And for you,” Jaime teased, standing and then offering her a hand. “You’ve been living like a rockstar for a while too.” 

“I’ll be just fine,” Brienne insisted, taking his hand to let him pull her up. Jaime helped her up and then tugged her right into his arms. She sighed and closed her eyes as he put his lips to her neck and sucked lightly. “We can’t,” she mumbled again. 

“I know, I know,” Jaime muttered, pretending to resign. “But will you sleep naked?” he asked, whispering in her ear. “So I can think about you tonight.” He traced his fingertips up her arm and watched the goosebumps appear. “Please?” She drew back and rolled her eyes slightly, but nodded. He could see the desire in her eyes and it took everything he had to step away from her. “Night Bri,” he said when they got to his door. 

“Night,” she whispered, turning to look at him and biting her lip. Jaime felt his cock stir looking at her. When she was all demure like that it drove him crazy. He groaned but ducked into his room. 

Jaime had a plan, but he wasn’t sure if he had the patience to see it through. He stripped down to his underwear and then flopped onto his bed. The minutes passed so slowly… Thankfully he knew Brienne normally fell asleep quickly. Still he waited a full 35 minutes before he peeked out into the hall and snuck towards her room. Thankfully she hadn’t locked the door so he opened it carefully and crept in. The moon cast a glow inside the room that allowed him just enough light to see her sleeping form on the bed. 

Was she naked under there like she agreed to? Jaime felt himself getting hard at the thought of what he was planning. It was even more perfect that she was already lying on her back. He moved to the end of the bed and very carefully untucked the sheet so it hung loose. She stirred once, but didn’t wake. With a deep breath Jaime lifted the sheet and blanket and climbed into the bed. As soon as he touched her feet she woke. “What the fuck?”

“Shhh it’s just me,” he said, rubbing her leg soothingly. “Just relax.” 

“You can’t be in here,” she whispered. “Jaime, seriously…” It was actually quite amusing that they were acting like a couple of teenagers who might get caught by daddy when they were full grown adults who were already fucking. But it made it a little bit more exciting and Jaime felt his dick ache a little bit more. He moved between her legs and reached to confirm his hopes - yep, she was naked. 

“Just pretend I’m not here,” he said, before leaning down to rub his lips along her slit. 

Brienne moaned and wiggled. “You’re making yourself pretty fucking difficult to ignore.” Jaime needed to taste her, desperately, so he licked her slowly. “Oh God,” she gasped. “What… what are you doing?” 

That made him chuckle a bit. “I’m gonna lick your pussy until you come,” he replied. 

Brienne’s response made him laugh again. “Oh. Okay.” Just like that he had the go ahead and she wasn’t going to even attempt to resist his plan. She gasped with the first sweep of his tongue and whimpered as he pushed just a little deeper. Brienne had allowed herself to relax and she gave him complete control. Jaime knew at that point she would let him do whatever he wanted to do because she trusted him. It wouldn’t take him too long to get her off but he certainly didn’t want to rush it. 

He explored her slowly and delicately, making her squirm and beg him for more. She tasted so fucking good - definitely the best dessert he’d ever had after that amazing dinner. The way he worked her over was getting more familiar as they got to know one another better each time they were intimate. Jaime knew he was pretty good at oral. His tongue could go from gentle to strong whenever he needed it to and he judged by the way she responded, changing with her needs. His facial scruff tickled the delicate skin inside her thighs, but she didn’t seem to mind at all. He hoped he was making it very clear just how willing and eager to please her he was. 

Jaime hadn’t actually touched her clit since he’d started, but he was working closer and closer. Brienne was squirming and he knew she was trying to shift her body and get his tongue exactly where she wanted it. He ignored her though and kept up the teasing. As soon as he got close again Jaime stopped and moved up to her mouth. She resisted him a bit at first, clearly frustrated that he’d stopped, but Jaime began to sensually working his tongue in and out of her mouth like he’d been doing between her legs and she responded, kissing him back. 

Eventually he left her mouth and moved back down. As he worked his way towards her clit once again he added his hand to the delicious torture, rubbing his fingers lightly over her folds and teasing her opening several times before finally slipping them inside her. At least he could still pleasure a woman just as good as before with his tongue and the hand he had left. 

Jaime knew she was getting closer and closer with every lick and every movement as he worked his fingers around inside her, slipping them out and pushing back in. She was wetter than ever and he really had to focus on her because his cock wanted in that pussy so badly. He had no intention of fucking her though, he hadn’t even brought protection with him. 

Brienne was writhing with pleasure and then suddenly she stopped moving. It was time. Jaime started to suck lightly on her clit and as he did he started to move his fingers in and out even faster. In a matter of seconds her whole body shuddered involuntarily and Jaime lifted his head to give her a smile. She surprised him when her eyes flashed and she grabbed his head, moving his face back between her legs once again. She was clearly in no mood for teasing. He’d pushed her that far and now he needed to finish her off. “Don’t you dare stop,” she hissed. She cried out as he found her again and sucked hard. Jaime was amused, but he knew she was going to freak out when she realized how loud she had been. But it wasn’t over yet and she was way too far gone to care yet. When Jaime started to flick his tongue quickly over her clit it was over. She cried out again, maybe even a bit louder and her body shook hard as the orgasm moved through her. He could feel her pussy contracting on his fingers and once again his mind when to his poor neglected cock. Just briefly though because he wanted to keep this moment about her. 

“You were kinda loud,” Jaime chuckled when she opened her eyes and looked at him. 

“Fuck,” Brienne moaned. “If we get busted I’m going to kill you.” 

He bent his head and sucked on one of her nipples. “No you won’t,” he said, looking at her with a smile. “You loved that and if you kill me I’ll never be able to do it again.” 

“You make a good argument, perhaps I’ll let you live,” she sighed, running her fingers through his hair. “But you need to finish up quick and get out of here.” 

“Oh I’m done, unless you want me to go back down for round two?” He replied. 

“But you didn’t…” she started. 

“You can leave that up to me,” Jaime said with a laugh as he climbed out of bed. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Sweet dreams Bri. I… uh, I’ll see you in the morning.” Holy fuck, he’d almost said it right then. It felt so natural and the words almost rolled right off his tongue. Somehow he held them in though. One day soon he wasn’t going to be able to keep from telling her exactly how he felt about her. But he was starting to feel a lot better about the idea and her reaction. Soon, Jaime promised himself. 

He left her room and snuck back down the hall. He had a huge issue in his underwear he needed to deal with and then it was time to sleep. He had a date with Betty in the morning and he couldn’t wait.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! I wanted to get this out earlier today but I had a killer headache. Luckily the drugs kicked in so I could finish it before bed. Hope you all enjoy!

Jaime could hear the comments from the peanut gallery as he approached the massive cow named Betty Boop. Davos had already taught him the technique and gave him tips on how to milk but the time had finally arrived and Jaime was feeling really nervous. 

“He has no clue,” someone said, with a snicker. Jaime shot a glare towards the group that had gathered to watch. He heard the cow snort loudly and turned to watch her stomp and paw at the ground. She was tied and couldn’t move too far which seemed to annoy her, or perhaps that was her general demeanour, he really wasn’t sure. 

Jaime took a deep breath and moved around to the front of the beast. “Hi Betty,” he said softly. “I’m Jaime.” 

More snickers and comments from behind him. “What is he? The fucking cow whisperer?” 

The cow huffed and stomped again. Maybe it was wishful thinking but Jaime was sure it didn’t seem quite as angry as the first one. “Hey, I won’t hurt you, I promise,” he continued. “Is it okay if I pet you?” Betty stared at him, but she’d stopped moving. Slowly he reached out his hand but just before he touched her fur she reared as much as her tie would allow her, which made him jump back, which of course sent the group into a fit of laughter. That included Brienne - her laughter was unmistakable. 

Jaime thought for a moment and suddenly he had an idea. Everyone was already laughing their asses off at his expense so he really didn’t give a fuck if they thought he was crazy. He gave Betty a smile and then he started to sing. “Hey where did we go, days when the rains came. Down in the hollow, playing a new game.” The snickering died down quickly and Betty actually seemed intrigued. 

The only thing he could think to do was to use his gift, the way he’d done his whole life. If he’d ever needed or wanted the attention of a woman he sang. Usually it was accompanied by a guitar, but… well, he’d have to do it a little differently this time. He sang a little more to complete silence. He wanted to turn and see their damn faces that were so smug only moments ago, but instead Jaime focused on the cow. 

As he continued to sing to her he slowly reached out and touched her nose. This time she didn’t rear up or stomp or snort… she actually nuzzled his hand a bit. “With you, my brown-eyed girl. You, my brown-eyed girl. Do you remember when we used to sing - Sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah. Just like that. Sha la la la la la la la la la la dee dah. La dee dah.” 

Fuck you all, Jaime thought. He slowly worked his way around, keeping a hand on Betty the whole time. As long as he kept singing she stayed calm. He let go of her and set up the stool and bucket, then got into place. It took a few tries but eventually a stream of milk sprayed out into the bucket. He was so excited he stopped singing for a moment and instantly Betty huffed. 

“I can’t fucking believe this shit,” he heard Davos mutter. Jaime had to sing through Brown Eyed girl start to finish three times and he only ended up with about a third of a bucket of milk, but it didn’t matter. He had done it! They thought he was going to provide endless entertainment but they were wrong. “I think the fucking cow has fallen in love with him.” Someone replied, “Well he is pretty.” 

Jaime stood up and Brienne walked over to him. “I’m impressed,” she said, giving him a smile. She’d been filming the whole thing on her phone, snickering along with the others. But when she smiled any irritation he’d felt towards her melted away. Brienne leaned in and kissed him. Instantly Betty made what sounded like a cow version of a growl and started thrashing. Jaime quickly dove for the bucket of milk that was about to tip. “No, Jaime… don’t,” he heard Brienne yell. 

He almost made it, almost rescued his precious bucket… but then everything went to shit… literally. He felt something whack him in the left shoulder which threw him off balance. He lurched forward and tried to catch himself with his right hand, which ended up right in the bucket of milk. The bucket went flying and Jaime landed flat on his face in a puddle of milk under the cow. The only good thing was that she had stopped moving. 

“Uh, Jaime… fuck… get out of there,” Brienne was yelling. He scrambled and tried to get up but it wasn’t easy with only one hand and slipping in the milk. Then all of a sudden something landed right in the middle of his back and there was an instant response from the crowd. There was groaning, snickering and full out laughter. Jaime sighed and flopped back onto the ground for a moment to rest. He couldn’t even blame them because if was anyone else he would have been pissing his pants at the sight before him. 

Someone grabbed his legs and pulled him out from under the cow. Jaime rolled slightly and shook off the large, warm pile of shit that had landed on his back. Davos offered him a hand, “I think the honeymoon is over.” Jaime let the older man help him to his feet. “Women, such jealous creatures,” he teased. 

Even though they were still laughing, the crowd broke into applause. Jaime rolled his eyes, but took a bow. What else could he do but laugh at his own misfortune? He slowly walked over to Betty and gave her a pat on the ass. “I always liked blue eyes better anyway.” He looked over at Brienne and smiled, then jumped out of the way to avoid a back leg kick. “It was fun Betts.” 

The show was over and the crowd started to disperse. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off, you’ve had an.. Eventful morning,” Selwyn said, joining him and Brienne. “You too Sweetpea,” he added, looking at Brienne and giving her a wink. “Oh and Jaime… I was hoping maybe we could speak later? After diner?” 

“Of course Sir,” Jaime said with a nod. He watched Selwyn wander off and then turned to Brienne. “What was that wink about? And why do you think he wants to talk to me?” He asked as they started to wander towards the house so he could shower and change. 

Brienne bit her lip and then looked over at him with a little grin. “As for what he wants to talk to you about… I haven’t a clue. But… We didn’t have to get up early and help with chores. I just wanted to see how you would manage.” Jaime sighed. “When I was a girl we always worked and Daddy still usually helps a bit, but he has enough employees these days to do everything without us.” She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry… are you mad?” 

“Of course not,” he replied as they walked into the house and headed towards the bathroom. “I got to milk and cow… and then got shit on. I haven’t had a morning this eventful since Tyrion came home drunk with half of Cirque de Soleil and Cersei found a sword swallower sleeping in her bed.” 

Brienne laughed and it made him feel warm inside. Her laugh could make anyone smile - anyone. It was infectious. When they made it to the bathroom door she was about to leave him, but Jaime caught her wrist. “Shower with me… I think I earned it, don’t you?” 

“But I don’t need a shower,” she replied with a coy grin. 

He pulled her closer and forced her to hug him. “Now you do,” he said, shutting the door behind them. Brienne turned on the shower while he locked the door and the second he turned around they were tearing at each other’s clothes. How could he crave her so much? She pulled the stinking, shit stained shirt off him and he awkwardly tore her blouse open one handed, grabbing her tits the second they were exposed. Her bra was silky and felt good in his hand. But he knew it would feel better without it. “Bra,” he said. She quickly obliged. Yep, he was right, her tit felt perfect in his hand and the other nipple felt amazing in his mouth. 

Jaime wasn’t sure he was even going to make it to the shower before he fucked her. The only thing that got him into the water was the smell of cow shit distracting his enjoyment of ravaging her. Once they were in the shower though, it was game on. He bent her over and was inside her with one deep thrust. 

It wasn’t until he was about to come that Jaime realized what they had forgot. He pulled out just in time and jerked himself off to finish. “Fuck,” he muttered. “I’m so sorry… I didn’t even think about protection. That was close.” Brienne looked worried. “It’s okay, I pulled out in time… but we gotta be more careful.” He couldn’t believe they were so wrapped up in each other that they’d been completely irresponsible. Would a baby with her be so bad? A little voice asked. He loved his niece and nephews. He’d always assumed he’d be a father someday. But they had never had that talk - it was way too soon. 

“I trust you,” she said, bringing him back to reality. “And it uh… it felt different. Better…” Brienne blushed a bit. “Maybe I should get a prescription…” 

“Yeah?” he asked eagerly. Getting rid of rubbers for good would be amazing. 

“Yeah,” she replied with a smile. “Seems like we’re going to be doing a lot of this soooo, might as well.” With that she kissed him and they finished up in the shower. By the time they got out the bruise on his shoulder was really starting to show. “We should probably get you some ice,” she said, touching it lightly with her fingertip. “You really pissed her off there Romeo.” 

“Me?” Jaime spat. “That was totally your fault. You kissed me and Boop went postal.” 

Brienne nearly fell over in a fit of laughter. “Why did I quit videoing?” 

After icing his shoulder they spent the rest of the day just hanging out together, talking and laughing. Jaime almost forgot his anxiety about Selwyn wanting to talk to him until dinner ended and he was reminded. “Jaime, shall we retire to my study for a drink?” 

“Oh, um sure… yeah,” he stammered with a nod. He gave Brienne a look and she shrugged to remind him she had no idea what her father was up to. A million scenarios ran through his mind as he followed the tall man through the house to his study. A million more horrible possibilities came to him as Selwyn poured them each a tumbler of brandy and then wandered over to hand it to him. “Thanks,” Jaime squeaked. It was so unusual for him to feel this insecure and terrified. But Brienne meant everything to him and this had to go the right way because he knew family was important. 

“Listen, I won’t beat around the bush,” Selwyn said, meeting Jaime’s gaze with eyes the same colour as his daughter. Jaime held his breath and waited. Then, when the man finally spoke he wanted to run out the door - “I’m not an idiot… I know you’re sleeping with my daughter…”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wellllll I hope you guys love Brienne's daddy as much as I do after this one :) Enjoy!

Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Those two words were pretty much the only thing that Jaime could conjure up inside his brain with Selwyn’s piercing blue eyes on him. “I also know that you’re her first,” he added. Jaime stared at him in shock, his jaw going slack and his intestines tying up in tight knots inside his stomach. “Oh don’t look so shocked. I’ve tried to find many a suitor for Brienne over the years and she was never interested. The only man who even held her attention before you was Renly Baratheon… I thought she might never get over what happened with him…” Selwyn looked at him, asking with his eyes if Jaime knew about that so he gave him a nod. “Anyway… are you going to say something? Don’t bother trying to deny it,” he warned. 

“No Sir,” Jaime muttered. “I mean, yes Sir. Or was ‘no Sir’ the right response?” he wondered out loud. “Uh…” His brain was mush. Usually Jaime could charm his way out of just about anything, but right then he felt like he might actually shit his pants. “You’re correct. We have been, um… sleeping together. But I swear it’s consensual and we’re being safe…” He thought briefly about the shower and shook off the thought. Jaime felt like a fucking teenager. He needed to pull himself together and stop the ridiculous rambling. He took a deep breath. “Sir…I care deeply for Bri… for Brienne. We’ve been through a lot together and she… she was my sunshine on my darkest days. She filled me with hope when I wanted to give up. She’s very, very special to me.” 

“And to me,” Selwyn replied in a tone that was basically saying - she was special to me first. 

“Of course,” Jaime nodded. “And I promise I will always respect that.” His heart was pounding. Selwyn’s face hadn’t changed one bit and Jaime wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. 

“Sit,” he commanded and Jaime sunk down onto the couch immediately. Then something strange happened… Selwyn started to laugh. “You… you look terrified,” he snorted. “You’re the biggest star in the world and you look like you’re about to piss your pants.” 

“Was,” Jaime corrected him. “And to be fair - you’re a bit terrifying and I really, really want you to like me,” he admitted. 

“I didn’t intend to… like you,” Selwyn said, sitting across from him on a chair. “When Brienne told me about you… and then asked if it was okay for the two of you to come here… I was ready to chase you right back to the other side of the country.” He shrugged, “What’s a father to think… I know Brienne is gorgeous inside and out, though she does a good job of hiding it.” Jaime chuckled and thought about that Grammy dress Bri had worn - the cat was out of the bag after that. “But here she is bringing home Jaime Lannister. Not just some guy she met at work, but Jaime Lannister - THE Jaime Lannister.” 

“It’s not like that when we’re together,” he said. “I’ve been an arrogant ass for a long time. But when I’m with her… I don’t know how to explain it. She’s good for me. She makes me a better man.” 

Selwyn nodded. “I understand completely. She did that for me too.” His eyes looked wistful and a bit sad like he was conjuring up memories from a rough time in his life. 

Jaime licked his lips and then spoke, “What… uh… what changed your mind… about me? If you don’t mind me asking.” 

Selwyn sighed and took a sip of his brandy. “I saw the way you looked at her. I’ve only looked at one woman that way in my life - Brienne’s mother. I’ll never look at another that way - it’s special. And you can’t fake it.” He gave Jaime a smile. “You didn’t have to say anything, all you had to do was look at her and I knew.”

So Brienne’s dad could even tell that he was madly in love with her just by the way he looked at her? Was he really perceptive or was it that obvious, Jaime wondered. “Sir… Mr. Tarth…” 

“You can just call me Selwyn,” he interrupted. 

“Oh okay… Selwyn… um… do you see it with her? When she looks at me?” The amount of insecurity he was feeling in that moment was completely new for Jaime. It was a question he needed to ask, but if the answer wasn’t what he was hoping for it could be devastating. 

The older man laughed. It was a deep, rumbling jolly laugh, different than Brienne’s, but equally as infectious. “My baby girl has always wore her heart on her sleeve. It’s difficult for a father to admit it… but Brienne has finally found a man she loves more than her daddy.” 

“Are you sure?” Jaime asked. He absolutely loathed the doubt he was feeling, but he couldn’t help it. 

He nodded. “You must know how loyal she is. That’s what scares me… When Brienne is in, she’s in 100% - for life. There was only one thing she ever gave up on.” Jaime knew he was referring to her music. “But Jaime, I assure you this - Brienne is in love with you. You have her heart… and I beg you - don’t hurt her. She’s been through so much… it would break her in ways she would never come back from.” 

“I won’t hurt her,” Jaime said earnestly. “I want to make her happy. I would do anything to see her smile and hear her laugh.” 

His words hung in the air and the two men studied each other for a moment. Finally Selwyn nodded again and said three words Jaime swore to never forget and to honour for the rest of his life, “I trust you.” They finished their brandy and Selwyn got up to pour them each another glass. “I want to show you something,” he announced. Jaime waited while he went to his desk and pulled something out of a drawer. It was a photo in a frame. He brought it over and handed it to Jaime. 

Jaime looked down at the photo. It was of a band. There were three men and a woman. “Is that you?” he asked, pointing at a tall man with long hair playing a guitar. 

Selwyn nodded. “The man on keyboard is a buddy who works out in L.A., the drummer… that’s Davos,” he said with a smile. “And that stunning beauty… that’s Brienne’s mother.” Jaime looked at the woman in the photo. She was gorgeous with a smile that could clearly light up a room. 

“She’s beautiful… just like her daughter,” Jaime replied. “I didn’t know you played,” he added, looking up at him as Selwyn took the photo. “Brienne never told me that.” 

“Brienne doesn’t know,” he replied, setting the photo on the coffee table and taking a seat again. Jaime looked at him curiously. “Do you have time to listen to an old man tell a sad story?” 

“Of course, I would love to hear it,” Jaime replied honestly. 

“Music was always my passion, just like you… just like Brienne until…” His voice trailed off. “Anyway, Davos, Joey and I started a band… that’s how I met Brienne’s mom - she auditioned as a singer. The first moment I saw her I knew she was the one. I just looked at her and I knew. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was right. We fell madly in love.” Selwyn was smiling at the fond memories. “Anyway, we started playing gigs… we were just kids really, but we were good. I actually think we could have been signed if we stuck with it.” 

“Why didn’t you?” Jaime blurted out. He didn’t mean to interrupt and Selwyn was likely getting there, but he just couldn’t keep his damn mouth shut.

“I made a stupid mistake one night… I thought one time wouldn’t hurt and we had unprotected sex. She got pregnant - with Brienne,” Selwyn replied. “Suddenly the band wasn’t our first priority. I messed up and I had to make it right. We got married right away… that’s just the way things worked back then. We were young and in love - we would have got married eventually anyway, but it had to be before people knew… I couldn’t dishonour her family that way.” Jaime was surprised how much things had changed in just over 30 years. “I had a small inheritance from an uncle who passed, it wasn’t much but it was enough to buy some land and with a bank loan I was able build a home for my new family.” Jaime couldn’t help but admire his devotion to his family. “Anyway, this is what became of all of that. Brienne was born and she was the most special gift I’d ever been given. Her mother died when she was really young… Brienne doesn’t really remember her too much, but I devoted my life to that girl. She didn’t have a mother, but I wanted to give her everything else I could. I knew I would never be with another woman… I just couldn’t. So I made sure there were women around that Brienne could look up to, housekeepers, nannys… But she was always daddy’s little girl.” 

“You did good,” Jaime said softly. “You raised an incredible woman.” 

“I did,” Selwyn agreed. “And now she loves you.” Jaime felt tingles hearing that. “But Jaime… there’s another thing she loves - music. I think that’s part of what draws her to you because you embody something she loves so much.” 

“I don’t anymore,” Jaime replied, shaking his head. 

Selwyn stood up. “Yes you do,” he said, his tone serious. “You can bury it all you want but music is in your heart and soul - you can never get rid of it. Believe me.” He walked over towards a closet door and then stopped. “Jaime, Brienne told me everything that you went through. We talk a lot and I know you believe you’ll never play again. But I heard you sing - you’re good. Really, really good. You don’t need to play.” 

Jaime sighed. He’d heard this before from Brienne. “I know, but I just don’t feel whole without my guitar. It wouldn’t feel right to get up on stage without it. I just can’t… I’m sorry, but I can’t do it.” 

“What if you could play again?” he asked. Jaime sighed again and held up his stump. Selwyn opened the closet and pulled out a guitar case. “It just so happens I’m a lefty.” 

It was clear right away what he was suggesting and Jaime felt a strange buzz of excitement inside him, but he squashed it right away. “I would have to start over completely…” 

“You would,” he agreed, opening the case. “It would mean a lot of hard work. But you’re incredibly talented and I’m certain you would pick it up quick.” 

“I don’t even have my prosthetic yet,” Jaime protested. 

Selwyn ignored his excuses and handed him the guitar. “I made something for you to try for now,” he said, holding up a weird looking object. “When Brienne told me your story I designed this. It just slips on your arm there, you tighten this strap… and the end works just like you’re holding a pick.” 

Jaime didn’t know what to say. This man had actually gone to the trouble of creating a device to allow him to play guitar. And Selwyn had done all of this before he even met Jaime or knew him. “Why? Why does it matter so much to you?” 

“Because it matters to Brienne,” he said simply. “She has so much faith in you and if she believes in you that much… so do I.” Jaime let those words sink in and then he held out his arm. Selwyn smiled and put the homemade prosthetic on for him. He snugged it up tight and stepped back. It felt weird, really foreign… but it looked like it might actually work. 

Jaime adjusted the guitar and looked down at his right hand on the strings. It was backwards. It was all completely backwards. But dammit… it felt good to touch the strings. He placed his fingers and strummed the most basic chord, an E minor. The guitar was a bit out of tune and both men noticed it right away. “Here, let me,” Selwyn offered, taking the guitar and quickly tuning it. When he handed it back Jaime strummed the chord again and it sounded perfect. The one advantage he had was that he at least knew all the chords. It wasn’t like he had to learn them, but he did have to somehow make his fingers play them. The prosthetic device was a bit clumsy and awkward but it worked well enough. 

“I’ll play something… if you play with me,” Jaime said. “And if you promise you’ll tell Brienne about your secret past.” He’d seen another guitar case in the closet so he knew the first demand was possible, but Jaime wasn’t sure if he was pushing too hard with his second condition. 

“I will. It’s time,” Selwyn replied. He got up and got out a guitar, tuned it and looked at Jaime. “American Pie? Starts off slow… You know the lyrics?” 

Jaime nodded and they started. “A long, long time ago, I can still remember how that music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance, I could make those people dance and maybe they’d be happy for a while…” He’d never really considered the lyrics before, but as they sang through the song and he fumbled along with the guitar, trying to keep up, the words started to touch him in a way they never had before. “Did you write the book of love and do you have faith in God above if the Bible tells you so? Now do you believe in rock and roll? Can music save your mortal soul?” 

By the time the song was over Jaime was almost in tears. He hadn’t felt that way about music in a long, long time - even when he was still very capable of making it. He knew this journey wasn’t going to be without pain and heartache, but it was a chance to rediscover himself and rediscover his relationship with his music. But the most amazing part was that he wasn’t in it alone. He had people by his side - family. He looked at Selwyn, his eyes filled with tears and he said the only thing he could, “Thank you.” 

They shared a look of understanding and Jaime took a deep breath to fight off the tears. “That was some of the shittiest guitar playing I’ve done in my life, but damn it felt good,” Jaime joked. He stood up and held out the guitar to Selwyn. 

“Keep it… for now. I’m sure you’ll want to get yourself a fancy new one eventually, but that’s been through a lot and I would be honoured if you started your… uh… comeback, using it,” he said with a bright smile. 

“The honour would be mine,” Jaime replied, carefully putting it back in the case along with the device off his arm. 

“It’s getting late,” Selwyn said with a yawn. “You are probably ready for bed I bet.” Jaime yawned too and nodded in agreement. “Hey, if Brienne wants you in her room… I’m really not that old fashioned. I honestly just wanted to see if you’d actually stay in separate rooms…” he gave Jaime a look. “Failed that one on the first night didn’t ya?” 

Jaime blushed. “Uhhhh,” he stammered, wondering how he’d figured that out. 

“Brienne never was good at being quiet,” he said with a chuckle. Jaime couldn’t help but laugh. Bri would be mortified if she knew so there was no way in hell Jaime would tell her that. 

They said their goodnights and Jaime opened the door. He saw Brienne walking down the hall and quickly went to meet her. She looked both confused and intrigued. “Did I hear you playing?” She asked, the hint of a smile on her lips. 

Jaime just grinned at her and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Go talk to your dad,” he said. “I’ll be waiting up… in your bed.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I suck. I didn't intend for this chapter to take so long! I just couldn't come up with a plan. I know what's coming next and I have a long term plan for the fic, but I just couldn't bridge that last chapter with my plans for the next. I desperately didn't want to bore y'all. This might officially be my longest fic now and I get paranoid I'm going to start to bore people :( Speaking of boring people, I'm just gonna shut up now and let you read :)

Jaime took off all of his clothes and then slipped into Brienne’s bed. It was comfortable and within a few minutes it felt warm and cozy. He reached for his cell phone that he’d set on the bedside table earlier that evening, ironic given that he hadn’t known at the time he’d actually be sleeping there that night. 

He hadn’t really looked at the phone much all day, but he knew Cersei had texted him and called a few times. He really had no desire to talk to her because he knew what she wanted and he would just have to say no. She made it so difficult to say no and he was in no mood to listen to her attempt at manipulation through guilt tripping him. 

He quickly scrolled through her texts, all 37 of them. Ridiculous. They were all a version of the same thing. She wanted him to come stay with her and the kids. The kids missed him so much (there was the guilt tripping starting already). Then she started to get mad at him for not replying. He looked at the time on the last text and noticed that only 5 minutes after that was when the phone calls started. Jaime looked at the timing of the 8 phone calls… then noticed only 7 calls were missed - the last one had been answered. 

Jaime resisted the urge to call Cersei right then and there and find out what had been said between her and Brienne. But he just couldn’t talk to her right then. It had been a good night. A good day and a good night too - he didn’t want to end it on a bad note. Besides, he knew that Brienne’s side of the story would be much more honest and truthful. She wouldn’t omit details and put a spin on it to try and manipulate him. Cersei would though, he had no doubt of it. 

He lay there lurking around on twitter for a while. It had been a long time since he’d reached out to his fans. As much as he wanted to… he just wasn’t ready. There was still so much sorrow and pity. He couldn’t stand for people to feel sorry for him. The was also anger and devastation from those who had watched their favourite band crumble. As insensitive as it was, he could actually appreciate the anger much more than the pity. If people hated him for something that was beyond his control he could shrug it off and move on. But the “I’m so sorry this happened to you” and the “I can’t even imagine” comments were too much. 

There were some inspiring stories though, from other amputees and Jaime took the time to pay attention to those. Some day he would feel up to thanking those brave people for sharing their tragedy and giving him hope, but he just couldn’t feel all that hopeful yet - hope was scary. What if all the things he hoped for never happened? 

Thankfully Brienne came in before he could get too far down the dark and depressing path he’d started on. “Wow,” she said with a sigh and a smile, sitting on the bed. “I did not see that coming.” 

Jaime sat up and leaned back on the headboard. “Are you okay?” he asked. 

“I think so…” Brienne muttered softly. “I wanted to be mad at him… I can’t believe he never told me. He knew how important music was to me and we missed out on sharing that bond my whole life… But at the same time… I understood. I know what it’s like to give up the one thing you love the most and he did it for me. How can I be mad at him for that?” She looked at Jaime for an answer. 

“You can still feel hurt, he would understand that, but you’re right - you can’t really be mad at him because you’re his world Bri.” He reached out to her and she moved closer so she could lean on him. “Maybe he’ll start playing again now,” Jaime said, touching her hair. “Wouldn’t it be amazing for the two of you to play together?” 

“The three of us,” she corrected him. 

“Maybe…” he replied. “But not until I get better. It’s too embarrassing. You’re better than I ever was and your dad… shit, he’s talented.” He stroked her hair again, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” 

“You know you don’t need to be embarrassed around me,” Brienne said, sitting up to look at him. “I want to help and I would never judge you.” 

“It’s not just that,” Jaime said, trying to think of how to explain it and not hurt her feelings. “Seeing the two of you play would only remind me of what I’ve lost. Once I get better, maybe that won’t bother me so much. Do you understand?” 

“Of course,” Brienne nodded. They were silent for a moment and then she spoke again. “I… um… I talked to your sister.” She chewed her lip and looked at him like she was expecting him to be angry. “She called 6 times in a row and I was worried it was some kind of emergency so I answered your phone. I’m sorry.” 

Jaime sighed. “I’m pretty sure I’m the one who needs to apologize. How bad was it?” he asked. 

Brienne hesitated and looked at him for a moment. “She uh… well… she said some things… hurtful things… but really, it’s fine. She wants you to call her.” 

“Bri, what did she say? Be honest with me,” he pleaded. 

“Oh don’t worry about it… it’s nothing I haven’t heard before. But she did say some things about you too.” Jaime saw something flash in her eyes, it looked like pain. 

“Everything,” he snapped. “Tell me everything she said.” Jaime needed to know all the details before he called Cersei back. He needed to be angry enough to not let her win him over like she always managed to do. 

Brienne took a deep breath and then spoke. “She said I wasn’t your type and I’m an idiot if I believe that what we have is going to last. She said you never stay with one woman for more than a few weeks and she’s the only woman in your life that you have ever trusted. She said nice clothes and make up can make anyone beautiful but one day you’ll see how ugly I am and you’ll run away so fast…” She looked up at him. Jaime knew his face was already red with anger, but he needed to hear the rest. “She said… she said one day soon you’ll run back to her because… that’s what you always do.” Brienne shivered. “Jaime… it was weird… almost creepy. She made it sound like… well, like the two of you are in love…” Her voice trailed off and she shivered again. 

Jaime felt bile rising from his stomach and he fought it back down. The words that just came out of Brienne’s mouth were the very thoughts he’d had himself on so many occasions. There were times when he would have swore that his sister didn’t just love him, but she was in love with him. He thought he was crazy and it was just the combination of Cersei’s ego and her overbearing need to control everyone in her life. 

It was then that Jaime knew what he had to do. There was only one way to salvage the evening at that point. There was only one way to make absolutely sure that Brienne knew that everything Cersei said was bullshit. “Bri… I’ve only loved one woman in my entire life…” Her face fell as if he’d just confirmed her worst fears. “No, no sweetheart no… it’s you,” Jaime said, reaching out to touch her face. “Brienne, it’s you…” He waited until it started to sink in before he finished. “I love you. Only you.” Her eyes welled up with tears and they started to roll down her cheeks. He felt one hit his thumb and wiped it away. “Someone told me once that when you fall in love for the first time you’ll know what love is. And now I finally know.” 

“Are you sure?” She whispered. It made his heart hurt that her life, the awful people who had treated her cruel over the years, had left her with so much doubt. 

“I’ve never been more sure of anything,” Jaime replied with confidence and conviction. “Your dad… he already knows. He told me.” 

“He did?” There was the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. Jaime nodded. “Did he um… did he tell you I love you too?” 

Jaime felt his heart swell in ways he’d never experienced. It was like someone had just filled his chest with helium and he was starting to float. “He may have mentioned something like that,” he said, his voice low and husky. “But I like hearing you say it better. Say it again? Please?” 

Brienne smiled at him, “I love you too Jaime.” As she said each word she moved closer and when she whispered his name he could feel her breath tickle his lips. Jaime moved his hand from her cheek to the back of her head and gently pulled her in until their lips were touching. He held her there, both of them frozen with this lips slightly parted, breathing the same air. It was sexy, sensual and so beautifully intimate. It only took the tiniest movement though to ignite the passion in both of them. Jaime wasn’t even sure if he’d moved or if it was Brienne, but he captured her mouth in a searing, yet tender, kiss. Well, it started off tender, but before long they were both panting and Brienne was on her back beneath him. 

Jaime was naked and completely hard. Every fiber of his being wanted her. The ache and need to be inside her was so intense he could barely breathe. “Take your clothes off,” he whispered in her ear, moving off her so she could obey his command. He watched her undress, his cock throbbing, yet somehow when she climbed in next to him with her long, lean, sexy body, he was able to simply pull her close and snuggled up next to her. Jaime stroked her arm with his fingertips. “Everything she said to you… it was all lies,” he said softly. “You’re beautiful in ways that women like my sister could never be. You’re gorgeous not just on the outside, but inside too. And I think… I hope… no, I know - what we have is going to last. I won’t run away from you and certainly not to her. I’m exactly where I want to be, here with you.” He placed a kiss on her shoulder and Brienne tucked her face closer so their cheeks were touching. 

Jaime couldn’t remember a time he’d been so turned on, but content to just hold a woman in his arms. Intimacy was so often mixed in with sex, but this time he was able to keep them separate. “I’ll call her in the morning and set her straight,” he said, wanting to be sure Brienne knew that he wouldn’t let his sister treat her the way she had and get away with it. 

“Please don’t,” Brienne replied, finding his hand to link their fingers. “I mean, if you feel like you need to talk to her I would never stop you, but you don’t need to defend me to your sister. You’re here, with me… that’s all that matters.” She giggled and it sent tingles through his body. “And you played the guitar tonight.” 

Jaime kissed her shoulder one more time. “I am… and I did,” he replied with a chuckle. Somehow he’d done it. The night ended up as perfect at the rest of the day and evening had been. He closed his eyes and started to fall asleep when his phone rang. Jaime groaned and reached for it. Of course it was Cersei. “Fuck off,” he whispered. Then - he turned off his cell and rolled back into Brienne’s warmth to drift off to sleep.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I'm off two weeks for the holidays so hopefully I can keep my family healthy for a while and get a bunch of chapters out for you guys!

“Wow that rain is really coming down,” Jaime muttered, shaking himself off and setting down the guitar case he was carrying. 

“Why do you think there are so many songs about Tennessee rain?” Brienne replied with a little laugh. She set down the stool she’d brought along. “You might wanna just fluff up a big pile of hay and get comfortable. This thing won’t be too pleasant.” 

“Hay is distracting. Hay makes me think of you,” he replied, giving her a warm smile. It was the truth. Just being in the barn where they had made love was enough to bring flashes of that moment back to his mind. He’d asked Brienne to bring him there to practice in private. He didn’t want to be anywhere that people could hear him - even her. “You understand why I want to be alone right?” Jaime had to make sure one more time, even though he’d probably asked her 10 times already. 

“It’s okay. I get it,” Brienne nodded. “Besides, I need to make a trip to town and get that prescription anyway,” she added. Jaime felt his groin respond with a little twinge. He knew they would have to wait a few days once she started the pills before they could get rid of the condoms for good, but knowing it was close was exciting and arousing. 

Jaime groaned. “You need to go before I…” He let his voice trail off. 

“Before you what?” She said sassily. Clearly she knew exactly what he was talking about. 

“Don’t tempt me Bri,” he sighed. “Please?” Jaime knew his willpower was about zero when it came to her so the ball was in her court. 

She took a step backwards towards the door. “I’ll come check on you around lunch time okay? Maybe bring you some food.” 

Jaime nodded, “That would be nice.” Once again she proved just how well she knew him. 

“Good luck,” she added with a wave and then she was gone and the only sound was the rain pelting down on the roof. Jaime ran his hand through his wet hair, brushing it back out of his eyes. He looked at the guitar case and then he looked at the stump on the end of his left arm where his hand used to be. This is no time to feel sorry for myself, he thought, but it didn’t stop him from doing it for a brief moment. 

When the pity party was over he grabbed the stool and sat down, then opened the case. He put on the device Selwyn had made him and then picked up the guitar. He was torn between the feeling of excitement to hold something that had once made him feel complete and the fact it felt totally foreign because it was the wrong way. Jaime strummed a couple of chords. It felt strange, but not too bad. But he really didn’t know where to start. It had been decades since he’d learned how to play. 

Pick a song and try to play it, he told himself. That was an epic failure. He tried one of his ballads, but even the guitar playing for a slow melody was too complicated. He couldn’t pick, he could barely strum really and his fingers just wouldn’t play the chords fast enough. He had to look at them and will them to move to the right place, whereas they just knew where to go before. 

Jaime tried a new course of action and went through all the chords one by one. He did it again and again and again until he was starting to be able to play the easier ones without looking. Changing from one to the next was still slow going though. He spent at least three full hours practicing before he made another attempt at playing a song. 

“Fucking mother fucking fucker,” Jaime yelled, dropping the guitar into the case. He yanked off the device on his arm and threw it to the ground in a fit of rage. His patience had always been thin, but it seemed to be non existent lately. He eyed the guitar. If it belonged to him he would have picked it up and smashed it to pieces, every bit the moody rockstar he was. The fact it belonged to another, particularly Brienne’s father, kept the instrument safe from his rage. 

But everything else in sight was not safe. Jaime attacked a bail of hay like mad man. He kicked and pulled and shoved, screaming and cursing at it. He kicked the stool across the barn. He stomped and yelled and raged until he was so exhausted he collapsed on top of the pile of hay he’d turned the bale into. He felt tears sting his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. Jaime wasn’t sure what the real cause of the tears was - anger, embarrassment, heartbreak… all of the above? Maybe he was crying even more because he was crying, even though he didn’t know why he was crying. It was a vicious circle. 

“Jaime?” her voice made him jump. He’d been so wrapped up in himself that he hadn’t even heard the squeaky barn door open. “Are you okay?” She ran over to him and dropped to her knees, setting the food she’d brought aside. 

“No I’m not fucking okay,” he snapped. “Do I look okay?” Jaime said up and wiped away the tears. “I went postal on a fucking hay bale and now I’m laying in the carnage crying like a big baby.” Brienne stared at him, but didn’t speak. “I can’t even play my own songs,” he sighed. “My own music that I wrote, composed… I can’t play even the simplest one.” He fought the urge to punch something. He only had one hand left and if it ended up in a cast he would be in one hell of a predicament. 

“Let’s go,” Brienne said. “Get up. Let’s go.” She stood and offered a hand. 

“Go where?” Jaime asked, scowling at her. She was being really bossy and he was in no mood to be told what to do. 

“Jaime - get up. We’re going somewhere,” she said, wiggling her hand to urge him to take it. 

“Where?” he said again, stubbornly refusing to take it until she told him where they were going. 

Brienne was just as stubborn but she let him win this time. “The rain has stopped so I’m going to take you to the river and we’re going to fish.” 

“Fish,” Jaime repeated. “I hope that’s code for something else because I think one needs two hands to partake in angling.” Not that he’d ever done it. He never really understood the appeal. Most of the band would try to get out a couple times a year and they invited him every time, but Jaime always made sure he had other plans. 

Brienne looked momentarily perplexed and he felt somewhat smug since she’d tried to outstubborned him. Then she snapped her fingers and he lost again. “We’ll just use cane poles. Keep it simple. If you happen to hook into a monster blue catfish I’ll give you a hand… Oh…” They looked at each other for a moment and then both started to laugh. “I didn’t mean to say that, I swear,” she snorted. “But at least your scowling face finally cracked.” Jaime scowled again to prove a point and she immediately softened. “Look, I know it’s not gonna be easy, but I also know if anyone can do it - it’s you. You need a break though. So I’m taking you fishing, whether you like it or not.” 

Jaime sighed, “I don’t like it. Fishing is stupid and boring. But being alone with you in the great outdoors will make up for it.” 

“Stupid and boring… have you ever actually been fishing?” she asked, leading him towards the barn door. 

“Kinda. If tanning and getting drunk on a boat while others are fishing counts,” he replied. He’d gone out once and got so drunk he passed out in the sun and ended up burnt to a crisp. 

“Well city boy, this is gonna be your lucky day because you’re going fishing with me… to my secret bass hole,” she said cheerfully. 

“Can’t hardly wait,” Jaime drawled sarcastically in response. “Any chance skinnydipping at this secret location is a possibility?” Brienne rolled her eyes, but the smile on her lips told him he’d got her thinking about it. Maybe “fishing” wouldn’t be so bad afterall. 

They gathered up their things, including packing the food she’d brought him earlier into a picnic lunch for him to eat when they got there. Brienne led the way and Jaime whined the entire way there. “Why are there so many bugs? How much farther? My legs hurt. It’s too hot.” Brienne ignored him the whole time and when they arrived she was still smiling. She got his pole ready (which he really wished was a euphemism, but unfortunately she actually was setting up the cane pole) while he ate the sandwich. 

When he was all set to go Jaime dropped the line in the water and waited. Less than 10 seconds later he commented, “See… I’m bored already. Fishing is the biggest waste of…” Bam, something tugged on his rod and Jaime almost let go in shock. “What the fuck,” he squeaked, yanking the rod up so hard the hook came flying out of the water and went 6 feet up in the air. He looked over at Brienne as the hook came back down. “Fucking little bastard took my worm,” he said sheepishly. 

Brienne put another worm on and Jaime dropped the line back in. He waited. His heart was pounding in his chest with anticipation. That little fucker was about to get caught. There was a little nibble…. And then… the rod bent again and Jaime yanked up. “Noooooooo,” he yelled when the exact same thing happened as the first time. “I’m gonna get that little bitch,” he fumed. “Hurry, hurry…before he swims away,” Jaime said, waiting impatiently for Brienne to add another worm to the hook. 

“Would you relax, there’s more than one fish down there,” she said, finishing quickly.

“Nope, it was the same one. I know it. He’s toying with me,” Jaime replied, dead serious. He was sure there was a fish down there laughing at him. 

As he dropped the line again Brienne gave him some advice. “Don’t just yank it up hard like that. Give it a little tug to set the hook and once you’ve got the fish then you can pull it up.” Jaime nodded and focussed. He wanted that damn fish so bad. Once again it didn’t take long to feel the nibbles. This time when he felt the hard tug he pulled up just a bit… and the tugging continued. Oh my God… The excitement he felt as he lift the rod up to display a decent sized fish flip flopping back and forth on the end of his line was incredible. It was almost as strong as the disappointment he felt when it did one final flip and dropped back into the river. “Oh… so close,” Brienne snickered. 

“That fucking counts,” Jaime said, shooting her a look. He knew in his heart it didn’t but his damn ego couldn’t take any more hits. 

“Okay, it counts,” she agreed quickly. “We haven’t been here but 10 minutes and you already have your first fish.” Jaime swelled with pride… until he realized he’d just proved her right and all his whining about how stupid fishing was seemed quite ridiculous. She wasn’t gloating about being right which he appreciated, but he swore that he would apologize later because in a matter of minutes he already understood how people got so addicted to fishing. 

Jaime caught three fish before he realized that Brienne hadn’t even dropped her line in the water yet. “Aren’t you going to fish too?” he asked. 

She shook her head. “I’m pretty busy putting worms on and taking fish off,” she said with a little smile. “Besides, it’s way more fun watching you enjoy something so much… reminds me of…” Her voice trailed off. “I’m sorry… that was so insensitive.” 

“It’s okay,” Jaime said with a sigh. He knew he was being so dramatic about the whole thing even though she was giving him the space he wanted and was so understanding of all his needs. “I know I’ve been a bit of an ass today… but just bare with me, please? I’ll get better … when I get better…” It was hard to know that feeling better about something depended on getting better at that something. But in reality that was pretty much the story of life for most people. There were amazing people out there that could do things for fun and enjoy every second no matter how terrible they were, but most people tended to enjoy something more when they got better at it. And when the stakes were high - like his livelihood, the pressure was immense. 

“I had an idea to run by you,” Brienne said softly. “But I think it’s better to just show you if that’s okay?” Jaime had no idea what she was talking about, but he decided to just trust her and nodded. “I’m going to take you somewhere tonight so when we get back we’re going to have to find you some very un-Jaime Lannister-like clothes and find a way to disguise that pretty hair… Just to be safe.” 

“What about you?” he asked. “People think we’re a couple… if you’re recognized I’m sure they will figure out it’s me.” 

“Oh don’t worry… I’m actually quite doubtful anyone will actually recognize you where we’re going,” she explained. “Half of them wouldn’t even know who you are if I introduced you by name. But I just want to be sure.” 

Now Jaime was really intrigued and his curiosity was killing him. “Can I get a little hint at least?” 

Brienne thought for a moment and then smiled at him and offered up a 5 word hint, “Three chords and the truth.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm starting to feel an ending coming soon. Maybe it just me, but I worry this is getting boring. I had a few ideas I was going to work in, but last night I kinda decided on a new course of action. I do hope you'll stick with me for a few more chapters while I wrap this up. Thanks, as always, for reading.

“You know, I’ve always had an appreciation of country music,” Jaime commented as they pulled up to a barn in the middle of nowhere. 

Brienne put the truck in park and then shot him a look. “Name me one Merle Haggard song,” she challenged him. 

Shit. He wasn’t expecting her to call him on it. I must know one Haggard song… Something about mama’s and babies… was that Haggard? Fuck. He wasn’t sure. “Uhhh Tight Fittin Jeans?” He just threw something out there. 

“I’m actually impressed that you know that song, even if you did get it wrong. That’s Conway Twitty,” she laughed. “The Fightin Side of me, That’s the Way Love Goes, Mama Tried…” 

“Mama… I knew there was something about Mama,” Jaime sighed. “But seriously, a good rock ballad usually has a country feel to it. Simple man, Hotel California, I Wanna know What Love is, I Don’t want to Miss a thing…” He could tell that Brienne had been expecting him to hate the idea of going to a country bar… or barn… or whatever it was referred to, but he was actually quite looking forward to it. He hoped being surrounded by live music would feel amazing, though he was a bit concerned it would bother him to see other people on stage in the spotlight. He missed it and ached for it every day, but it was a long way off, even if it was possible someday. 

“So I didn’t really explain why I wanted to bring you here,” Brienne said, turning in her seat to look at him. “Your songs are complex with insane riffs that even most decent guitarists would struggle with. I wanted to show you that there’s a lot of great music out there where the guitar work can still shine with only a few chords.” Jaime tried to appreciate the sentiment, even if part of him was slightly bummed. Did this mean she’d given up on him ever being able to play his own music? “I have no doubt that one day you’ll play your own songs again and create new stuff too. But I just worry that you’ll push yourself too hard and lose your love of music along the way. Maybe if you start working with stuff that’s a bit less complicated to start… you can work your way back to what you really want to play.” She searched his eyes. “Does that make sense?” He felt relief when she finished. She did still believe in him and that meant so much. 

“You’re brilliant,” he said with a genuine smile. “Although I’m not so sure this outfit is brilliant,” he groaned, as they both got out of the truck. He wasn’t much of a plaid type of guy to begin with, then pair that with some extra tight levis and a massive belt buckle, pointy toed cowboy boots and a black steson… he looked rather ridiculous. 

“You look sexy, trust me on that,” Brienne said, coming around to join him. She gave him a quick kiss. “We had to hide that pretty hair,” she teased. Jaime took off the hat and ran his fingers through his hair and then put it back on. “Ready?” He nodded and they headed inside. For a barn in the middle of nowhere there sure were a lot of people. He realized quickly that if he looked ridiculous so did every other man in the joint. Jeans, boots and cowboy hats were everywhere. The ladies outfits were a bit more versatile - some dressed just like the guys, some wore skirts or sundresses and there were a number of Daisy Duke, cut off jean shorts too. Brienne had opted for the more traditional look, which wasn’t surprising. He was quite glad she wasn’t a Daisy Duke kind of girl because every man in the place would be eying up her mile long legs and he would have ended up acting like a jealous fool. 

The grabbed a couple of beers at the bar and found a spot where they could see the stage. It was basically an open mic and people just took turns up on the stage. Some were amazing, others were kinda terrible, and most were in between. There was a woman that was so incredible Jaime would have happily taken her on as a back up singer on his tour… His tour that was no longer happening. In all honesty, she was so good that a label could even sign here if she ever got the opportunity. 

“Why isn’t she in Nashville?” Jaime asked, leaning over to Brienne. 

“She’s good isn’t she?” Bri commented. “She’s got 4 babies, a big farm and a passion for country music.” Brienne shrugged. “Sometimes there are things in life that mean more than music…” Her voice drifted off and Jaime knew she was thinking about her father. He reached out and squeezed her hand. 

There was some really twangy stuff he wasn’t too fond of, but overall Jaime really enjoyed listening to the music. It had been a really long time since he’d been in that kind of venue… well, in all honesty the smaller bar scene he’d came up through was a lot different than this. But the feel was still the same - the familiarity between the people there, the love of music, the smiles, the drinking, the dancing… it was very nostalgic. 

“Did you want to give it a try?” Brienne asked him, bumping his shoulder with hers in a teasing gesture. 

“Nope. But you should,” he suggested. Bri immediately shook her head. “Come on… you have to know something you could play.” 

“I do, but I need a singer,” she replied with a smirk. 

Part of him was screaming no, no, no, and the other part was yelling - just do it. “What did you have in mind?” There really weren’t many country songs he knew the lyrics to, so he was curious what she was going to suggest. 

“Hallelujah,” she said, looking rather smug. 

How did she know it was one of his favourite songs to sing? He’d never sang it on tour. Fuck, fuck, fuck. How could he say no? “Where will you get a guitar?” he asked. 

“I know some people…” 

He could tell from the sparkle in her eyes that she already knew he had given in. 20 minutes later he was sitting on a stool in the middle of the stage with Brienne right beside him. The crowd had clapped and cheered as they took the stage. Jaime couldn’t believe the reception from people who didn’t even know him. When Brienne started to play the crowd fell completely silent. He looked out at the faces, so many unfamiliar faces, but they were all smiling and patiently waiting for him to sing. 

The butterflies in his stomach were bad. Normally he would have had his pre-concert puke in his dressing room before he took the stage. Jaime closed his eyes and listened to Brienne play. Fuck she was so good. With a deep breath he waited for the right moment and then began to sing. “I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord, but you don’t really care for music do ya?” The feeling of joy that filled him was incredible. “And it goes like this the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift, the baffled king composing hallelujah.”

He kept his eyes closed the entire time and just let the music fill his soul as he sang. When the song was over and he opened them the first thing he saw was Brienne with tears in her bright blue eyes. Then he looked out at the crowd as they erupted with cheers. They were begging him to sing again, but Jaime was quite sure nothing could top the moment that had just happened for him on that stage. He was feeling very emotional and was happy when Brienne led him through the crowd towards the door. It took a while because everyone they passed was paying them compliments on the song. It was the strangest feeling because these people had no idea who he was. His fame and popularity wasn’t influencing their opinion at all - it was purely honest. 

“Are you okay?” Brienne asked, once they were alone in the truck. 

Jaime nodded slowly. “Yeah… that felt really, really incredible,” he admitted. It was hard for him to admit that he’d still enjoyed being up there and singing, even though he wasn’t playing too. 

She didn’t try to say I told you so or take anything away from his moment at all. “Good, I’m happy for you,” she replied. That was all. It was simple and supportive - exactly what he needed. 

They drove home in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Jaime reflected on the night and on the incredible woman beside him. He looked down at the stump of his arm and like it did every single time it left an ache in his heart. He tucked it by his side out of sight and tried to stay with the positive. It had been a special night - that’s what he needed to focus on. 

When they arrived back at the ranch there were a couple cars he hadn’t seen before parked out front. “Expecting visitors?” Jaime asked her. 

 

She shrugged, “Maybe daddy has some friends over. But normally he’s in bed by now…” Her voice trailed off as they parked and got out. The second they opened the door Jaime immediately knew who was there. Brienne clued in quickly too. “The band?” Her eyes lit up when he confirmed with a nod. 

All of a sudden they were surrounded by men, hugging, laughing, joking… Jaime hadn’t even realized how much he’d missed them until that moment. Clegane, Tormund, Pod, Grey Worm and of course Bronn. “Where have you been? We’ve been waiting for like 2 hours,” Tormund asked. 

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he said with a laugh. They all headed into the living room where the guys had clearly been hanging out for the past couple of hours. There was a baseball game on the TV, beers and snacks on the tables… it looked like a familiar scene from their busses. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? What’s going on?” There was a strange silence that immediately made Jaime feel nervous. The guys were looking at each other but no one was talking. “What… what’s wrong?” Jaime stammered. They were making him very nervous. Had someone died he didn’t know about? 

Finally Podrick, of all people, spoke up, “Dude… we wanna finish the tour. We don’t want to cancel the whole thing. We want you to come back and sing… I can pick up some of your guitar work… or Brienne - if she wants to. But we just… we miss it and we want to get back out there.” Jaime felt like the room was spinning. He needed air - so he ran outside, leaving everyone calling out after him.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided this chapter was necessary before I begin to wrap things up. It's a bit of a flash forward, which I also felt was necessary. Next chapter will be some nice fluffy JB :)

“No. I can’t. I won’t.” 

“I know what I said, but it’s different. That was a club full of people who didn’t know me. They weren’t fans. I can’t do what I did tonight on a stage in front of fans who have followed me for years. I can’t disappoint them.” 

“If they want to finish the tour they can do it without me. I’m sure they can find a decent singer who knows all the songs.” 

“Why would they ask me to do this Bri? Why?” 

“It’s only been a few weeks. I don’t even have my fucking prosthetic yet. They want me to hold my mic in one hand and wave with a god damn stump?” 

“It would be humiliating. I won’t do it. Just tell them to go away, do whatever they want - but without me.” 

That night hadn’t gone well at all. And since then Jaime just hadn’t been the same. He’d been rational enough to talk with Bronn a couple weeks later and agreed to allow Kingslayer to find a temporary replacement to play a few select shows in the smaller venues so they could at least finish some of the tour without him. There was a lot of legal stuff to deal with, but Jaime just signed everything he was asked to and didn’t ask any questions at all. 

He wasn’t cruel or short with her, but he was just different. He spent so much time alone in the barn with her dad’s guitar, hours and hours at a time. So Brienne decided to help a bit around the farm and give him his space. Once in a while she would take a break, sneak over close to the barn and listen to him. He was getting better, a lot better. He had taught himself a bunch of country songs and really seemed to be developing a passion for that genre of music. She never asked him about it though. She wondered if he knew she was secretly listening to him? He probably did, but he never mentioned it and neither did she. 

 

Over the next few weeks there were some major changes. Jaime’s prosthetic was ready and they had to make several trips to the city to pick it up, and then make various adjustments. He hated it at first and refused to even put it on first the first week. He said it hurt and felt weird. After a few trips to the doctor and physiotherapist, some modifications to the prosthetic and a couple of her best pep talks ever he started to wear it regularly. He was able to hold a pick with the prosthetic, but it was another adjustment he had to make with his playing so Brienne could tell it frustrated him a lot at first. But with more time and practice he got used to it and even admitted to her once that it actually felt almost normal - as normal as possible while still feeling backwards. 

The one thing that never change between them, no matter how off Jaime seemed, was their physical relationship. Brienne could tell it was more than just sex for him. It was like he needed and craved the normalcy of being intimate with her as an escape from everything else that he felt was going wrong. When they made love it was like everything was right in the world for a moment. Brienne needed that just as much as he did. It felt like every time he took her in his arms, kissed her, or touched her body it was the real Jaime back again. He had his sassiness and spunk and the second he was turned on the light came back to his eyes once again. 

Brienne continued to be supportive and give him his space for almost a full two months. At that point there were only a few weeks of the tour left. Maybe 5-6 shows if she remembered correctly. She’d been in touch with Bronn a bit and things were going okay. The crowds were much smaller without Jaime. The shows weren’t selling out because fans had been offered the choice of a refund without him on the tour. But the band was happy just to be playing. 

A man named Robb was Jaime’s replacement. He was really good, but Bronn said he was very humble. He admired Jaime very much and was honoured to help out, but worried deeply he would offend his idol. Bronn had sent her a short video from one of their performances and she had to admit the young man was really talented. He wasn’t Jaime and it was so weird to see him playing Jaime’s songs, but he definitely had skills and was doing a great job filling in. She knew the band wanted nothing more than to have Jaime back, but he’d made that clear it wasn’t an option so this was the way it had to be. 

One morning when she woke to find Jaime had already left, though it wasn’t out of the ordinary, Brienne decided enough was enough. There was nothing specific that had happened to prompt her to shower and then march right to the barn and bust in the door. But it just felt like it was time. When she’d rolled over to reach for him and found him already gone it made something snap inside her. She needed him back and she wouldn’t rest until she got through to him. 

“Brienne,” he gasped, wide eyed when she flew in like a bat outta hell. “What’s wrong?” Immediately he assumed something bad had happened and she couldn’t blame him. All these weeks and she had never once interrupted his practicing. 

“This has got to stop,” she said passionately. “Jaime, you spend all your time out here alone. You’ve shut out all of your friends. I just… I miss you. I miss you so much.” 

He looked confused. “But I’m here. I’m right here with you.” 

“Physically yeah, you are,” Brienne agreed. “And yes, there are times when you’re here emotionally too, but they’re rare. You’re so wrapped up in this…” she gestured to the barn and his guitar. “Which I get… and I support. I know you want to get better and be able to play again… but it’s not making you happy. It’s a chore. You’ve lost so much of your joy for music.” 

“I’m fine, I promise,” he said dismissively. It wasn’t rude, but she could tell he’d hoped she would drop it and leave. 

“When you first came here you were looking forward to trying new things. You were like a little boy, so excited. I remember when you milked Betty…” She smiled at the images in her mind. 

“Stupid jealous cow,” he muttered, before giving her the hint of a smile. 

“There’s something I would like to do today…” She watched his expression, hoping she wouldn’t have to push too hard. “Will you take the rest of the day off and spend it with me?” 

“Bri,” he groaned. “I’m just starting to get somewhere…” His voice trailed off when he saw the scowl on her face. “I’m not going to win this one anyway, am I?” Brienne crossed her arms and shook her head. “Okay, fine… what are we doing?” 

He started to put away the guitar and Brienne stopped him. “Bring it. Flip it around on your back… you’ll still be able to ride.” 

“Ride? As in horses?” His eyes actually lit up and Brienne almost cried. He was excited. Thank god! 

“I’m going to ask Davos to give you a quick lesson while I gather up a few things okay? He taught me to ride when I was little - he knows his stuff and he’s very patient,” Brienne explained. She knew Jaime really liked Davos and they’d developed a fun loving relationship so she was sure he would be fine with Davos being his teacher. 

“Sure. Let’s do it,” Jaime nodded. She turned to walk out of the barn but he stopped her. “Hey, I just wanna… I wanna thank you for being patient with me for this long,” he said. “I know I’ve been a bit crazy, but I think I’m starting to sort some things out finally.” 

Brienne was about to reply when a voice from outside stopped her. “He’s in here? Is it even safe to be in that thing? It looks like it’s about ready to fall down.” Her eyes widened when she realized who the voice was. She watched Jaime close his eyes and sigh. When he opened them he was giving her a very apologetic look. 

“Sounds like you’ve got a visitor,” Brienne commented. She hated the twist she was feeling in her gut just from hearing Cersei’s voice. 

“Oh there you are,” Cersei said, stepping into the barn tentatively. She looked around and crept slowly towards them as if she really was scared the roof was going to fall on her. 

“What are you doing here?” Jaime asked. “You should have called first,” he added, sending a huge jab her way. She had called, many times, and he continued to ignore her. 

Cersei gave him a glare, but she was obviously used to his smart ass behaviour. “You won’t answer my calls or respond to my texts. Tyrion said he talks to you at least once a week…” 

“Yeah, well Tyrion hasn’t been treating Brienne like shit,” Jaime shot back. “I don’t have time for this, we have somewhere to be.” He was being really cold with her and as much as it helped with the anxiety Brienne was feeling, she really didn’t think it was a bad idea for him to spend some time with his sister and smooth the waters between them. 

“I drove to the middle of fucking nowhere to see you,” Cersei snapped. “You can at least give me a few minutes.” 

“Nope, sorry. You really should have made sure I wasn’t busy before you just showed up,” Jaime said, starting to walk past her. 

Brienne caught his arm. “Just give her a minute,” she whispered, urging him. “I can go get things ready…” 

“5 minutes,” he agreed. “But you’re staying,” he insisted. Brienne nodded and let go of his arm. “Make it quick,” he said to Cersei. 

“Jaime, you know I love you,” she started. Brienne could tell that was the truth at least. “But this is fucking insane. What’s going on with you? Are you having some sort of midlife crisis? How can I help?” By the time she stopped talking Jaime’s face was red with anger and Brienne was gaping in shock. Before he could blow up Cersei continued. “You’re throwing away everything, your career, your family… for this… this… tart… and a smelly farm.” And things had started off so well, Brienne thought. 

By this point Jaime’s face was almost purple with rage. She had no idea how he managed to keep his voice so calm, “It’s time for you to leave.” Cersei took a step towards him and reached out to touch him, but Jaime shook her off immediately. “I want you to leave and never, ever come back.” Brienne wasn’t upset that he wasn’t defending her explicitly because she knew he was struggling to speak without exploding. 

“Father wants you to come home too,” she added, trying a new approach. 

“Then father can call me on his own and ask me to come visit,” Jaime replied coldly. 

“The kids miss you,” she tried again. This time Brienne saw his guard drop momentarily. She knew he cared deeply for his niece and nephews. 

“And I miss them too,” he said honestly. “They are more than welcome to come visit. Tommen would love it here, Myrcella too. Joffrey would hate it, but he’s welcome to come..” It made Brienne happy that Jaime felt at home enough on the ranch to know his family was welcome to visit any time - they had tons of space. “Perhaps their Uncle Tyrion could bring them next month.” Cersei’s face went from hopeful to a scowl. 

“One day you will regret this,” she seethed. 

“Just go, you’re embarrassing yourself,” he said, dismissing her again. 

“Have you seen that kid they replaced you with?” Cersei asked, looking smug suddenly. Brienne felt the anger start to boil inside her. “He’s better than you. They’re not going to want you back with your one hand and mediocre guitar playing.” The venom she was spouting was intended to wound. It was clear Cersei needed to have the last laugh so to speak. Brienne clenched her fists and tried to take a calming breath. “You could have been back out there with them,” she hissed. “But instead you’re here. You’re pathetic.” 

That was all she could take. Cersei could say whatever she wanted to about her, but insulting Jaime, especially with all he’d been through… that was not happening on her watch. Brienne lunged at her, but she felt Jaime’s arm catch her around the waist. “Don’t. She’s not worth it,” he said softly, soothing her. Brienne struggled against him at first while Cersei grinned at her, taunting her. “Bri, it’s what she wants… don’t give it to her,” he whispered, pulling her against him protectively. She started to relax as his words sunk in. Jaime didn’t trust she wasn’t going to lunge again as soon as he let her go so he continued to hold her, but it changed to a more romantic embrace and he rested his chin on her shoulder. Whether it was to comfort her more or piss off Cersei more… or both, it didn’t matter. It worked on both accounts. 

“Don’t come running back to me when you realize what a huge mistake you’ve made,” Cersei warned. And finally, mercifully, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the barn. 

“I’m sorry,” he apologized immediately. He kissed her shoulder and Brienne sighed. “I should have defended you more, but I was afraid I was going to ring her fucking neck if I let myself snap.” 

“Are you okay?” Brienne asked, turning to face him. That was all that mattered to her. 

“Do you really think he’s better than me?” Jaime asked, looking wounded. “I mean, better than I was… most people are better than what I am now…” 

She decided to be completely honest with him. “Jaime… Bronn sent me a video. He’s good. He’s really good. But… he’s not you. No one can replace you - ever. The world still loves you… and so do I.” 

He managed a smile. “I love you too and that’s all that matters. Now let’s go enjoy the rest of the day and forget about my sister.” Brienne agreed, but she worried he wouldn’t be able to put what had just happened behind him and actually enjoy the day.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long, but it took me a while to decide how I wanted this chapter to go. But finally... it's finished and i hope you enjoy it. Thanks for your patience!

“How you feeling?” Brienne asked, once they were a ways away from the ranch. Jaime seemed fairly comfortable on the horse, though they had given him the easiest mare they had to ride. She was a dream and perfect for new riders. 

“Should I be wearing a cup or something?” he asked. “My nuts are feeling kinda squished.” 

Brienne laughed. “Sit up straight and back a bit more in the saddle, you must be leaning forward too much.” 

“Oh yes,” he groaned. “So much better.” 

Brienne didn’t want to push, but it would take them hours to get where they were headed at this slow pace. “So we’re going to ride out quite a ways, so if you feel up for a trot at any point…” 

“Fuck yeah,” he said eagerly. “Let’s do it.” 

She admired his excitement and didn’t want to ruin it so she decided not to mention how much he was going to hurt the next day. Brienne started them slow but when he seemed to thrive she kicked it up a notch and flew. When she looked back Jaime was actually keeping up. As much as she wanted to attribute it to the horse it seemed that Jaime was just one of those guys who were naturally good at everything. Even with one hand, a very expensive prosthetic and a guitar strapped to his back. 

Eventually she slowed because when she looked back again he seemed to be starting to struggle. “You did amazing,” she commented, after turning her horse to move back and join him again. 

“Let’s not jinx it. I was cow milking magician until you made the psycho jealous,” Jaime scoffed. It really was a moment neither of them would ever forget and made her laugh every time it came up - and it came up a lot. 

“Well the good news is, we’re close. I’m sure the horses are ready for a break by now,” she said. She trotted up to a tieing post and hopped down. Jaime didn’t dismount as smoothly, but he somehow held back the laughter watching him scramble and cuss. 

Brienne gathered up the supplies she’d brough and waved for him to follow. She led him into the woods while he was still grumbling about the less than stellar dismount. But when they go to their destination he stopped talking. “What is this place?” he breathed. 

They were in her favourite place in the entire world. In the middle of a forest there was this strange clearing. It was natural. They hadn’t removed any trees, it was just there. It wasn’t very big, but it was incredible. You could see the bright blue sky above and the sun was shining down on them. Brienne looked up and let the sun rays warm her face. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them when she felt Jaime’s arms around her. “You have never looked more beautiful,” he whispered. She put her arms around his neck and let him pull her even closer, then Brienne kissed him. It was a kiss with intentions. Something had been bothering her. It was long past the few days they needed to wait for her birth control to kick in and they had yet to have sex without a condom. She didn’t pressure him about it because she assumed he was just being cautious, but it was long enough. It was time. 

Brienne released him and picked up the blanket she’d brought. She spread it out on the ground. “Lay down,” she said. 

“We can’t… I didn’t bring…” he started. 

“We don’t need one,” she insisted, starting to remove her clothes. Once she was naked she knew he couldn’t resist her. If she needed to seduce him she would. “I thought you wanted to feel all of me,” she purred in his ear, moving closer and lifting his hand to her bare breast. Jaime groaned and she knew she’d won. It was too easy. 

It was her show so once they were naked Brienne climbed on top. She took her time, driving him absolutely crazy before she finally moved her ass back towards the tip of his cock. She couldn’t wait to feel him inside her without the rubber but she was also enjoying the build up and the way she practically had him squirming. 

When she finally pushed back and took him deep into her pussy they both moaned loudly. “Fuck,” Jaime groaned. “It feels better than I could have imagined. So good.” Brienne couldn’t agree more. It shouldn’t have made such a big difference, and whether it was half in their minds or not… it felt amazing, so amazing. 

When she started to grind her hips and ride him she felt her body respond so strongly she stopped for a moment in shock. A little shudder rippled through her as a gentle breeze washed over them and made her nipples hard. Jaime ran a hand up her thigh and she watched the goosebumps appear in its wake. Slowly she started to move again as she stared at his face. He couldn’t seem to help closing his eyes, and the look of pure ecstasy she saw was so damn erotic. It felt so arousing to be in control of his pleasure the way she was. She had all the power and it was incredibly fulfilling. Brienne used it to drive them both wild. She moved on him in whatever way felt the best for her, pushing herself almost to the edge before changing it up a bit so she could hold on a little longer. 

When it became clear Jaime wasn’t going to make it too much longer she found the angle that really hit her sweetspot and fucked him slow and easy, enjoying each stroke until she knew it would only be a couple more to push her over. The orgasm him her so hard she collapsed against his chest. Jaime fucked her from below, just a few strokes until he was finished too. Brienne exhaled against his chest feeling weak and exhausted, but so satisfied. 

 

They lay on the blanket afterwards, snuggled close, legs tangled and Brienne sighed contently. The serenity of being alone like that in the outdoors was beautiful. She could hear birds and the buzz of insects and she could feel the rise and fall of Jaime’s chest and his heart beating against her hand, fast at first and then gradually slowing. 

“Why did you want to wait this long?” Brienne asked. Perhaps she should have found out the reason before she pretty much seduced him, but he could have stopped her if it had been something significant… well he could have at least tried. 

Jaime stroked her arm. “I owe you an explanation,” he said. “And there are so many things I need to talk to you about.” Brienne felt her heart start to beat faster with anxiety. “I’m not sure where to start,” he added with a chuckle. The little laugh made her relax. If it was something really bad he wouldn’t have done that. “I guess with the condom thing… I had to sort my shit out before I could risk it, ya know?” 

“Risk it… you mean pregnancy?” Brienne clarified. 

“Yeah… I thought about your dad and mom… and you… and what they gave up... “ Brienne stiffened with guilt. “No, no… it’ not like that,” he started to scramble. “I don’t blame them - I think what they did was so beautiful and admirable. Your dad wouldn’t change any of it other than your mama’s passing.” She knew that was the truth. Maybe Selwyn had missed out on a different life because of her conception, but the life he’d gained was one he loved. “I guess I just mean that… I don’t know if I could have done what he did if something happened and you got pregnant. I wasn’t ready to let it all go and I wouldn’t want you to think less of me because I couldn’t… fuck, am I making any sense here?” Jaime asked, sounding exasperated. 

“I understand,” Brienne assured him. “And you need to know that I would never expect or want that from you. Celebrities have babies you know,” she teased. “And they make it work.” She didn’t want him to think she was saying she wanted a child, right away, “I don’t mean I want a baby… not right now anyway. Just wanted to make that clear.” 

Jaime laughed again. “Well at least we’re on the same page,” he said. “I probably should have told you that sooner, but I just figured it we wait a bit longer to be safe it wouldn’t hurt.” She felt him take a long deep breath. “And there’s something else I should have told you about sooner…” His voice trailed off. 

“Jaime?” she asked, sitting up on her elbow to look at him. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing, it’s nothing bad… It’s good I think…” He looked perplexed. “I felt more confident about it before… when you weren’t looking at me.” He smiled. “It’s not a done deal by any means…” What the hell was he talking about? She wondered nervously. “I’ve been talking to Bronn. I agreed to do a farewell tour next year. Only 10 shows… about one a month.... On one condition…” He shifted to look at her, “That you agree to play lead guitar by my side.” 

There was so much information in what he just said that Brienne had no idea what to feel. She opened her mouth to speak because she knew she needed to reply but nothing came out because she literally had no idea what to say. 

“Bri, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you before now…” he started. “But I swear, it’s not a done deal because I’m not doing it without you…” 

She started to shake her head and then forced herself to speak so her head shake wouldn’t be confusing. “It’s not that…” But that’s all that would come out. 

“I just… I don’t think I can do this without you by my side. You’ve known exactly what I need from the start. You stayed by my side when I was a nut case in the hospital… you knew enough to bring me to the ranch, away from everything… you knew enough to leave me alone the last few weeks… and you even somehow knew it was time for us to talk… you knew I was ready and you brought me out here today.” She appreciated that he believed in her that much so she didn’t correct him and admit she’d been frustrated that morning. 

Jaime looked very worried and she wanted to ease his mind, but she was still struggling to dissect everything he’d said. “I hope you’re not mad that I needed so much time… It wasn’t just about relearning, I did a lot of thinking and soul searching. You know me better than I know myself and you probably could have just told me from day one what to do and it would have been the right thing… but I just had to… maybe it was ego or wounded pride… but I had to figure it out on my own. You understand right?” He was pleading with her by that point. 

“Jaime… Jaime… it’s okay… I’m not mad,” she said, trying to at least ease his mind a bit. “It’s just… you told me so much all of a sudden. You’ve had weeks to come up with all this and you dumped it on me in 10 seconds.” Brienne reached for his hand. “You’re quitting for good? But you’re going to tour one more time?” He nodded to confirm. “Those two things alone are huge. Jaime, you’re gonna get back on that stage again and I’m so excited about that and so proud of you,” she gushed. “But you’re ready to give it all up after that? Are you sure? Maybe you’ll get back out there and love it again.” 

He gave her a sheepish look. “I’m sure… because there’s more I need to tell you…” 

“Oh good lord,” Brienne sighed, shaking her head. She couldn’t help but smile. What else could she do? “Lay it on me.” 

“I wanted to ask you if you would live with me?” he said softly. 

Brienne was a bit confused. “But we pretty much live together now…” 

“I know, but I mean like just us - in our own place…” He looked so hopeful like a puppy dog. 

At least this was one thing she didn’t really need to think about. She honestly couldn’t imagine not waking up with him every morning. “I would love to live with you,” she said with a smile. She leaned in and gave him a kiss. “I’ll go wherever you want me to.” 

“Oh you don’t need to go anywhere,” he replied. “I love it here.” Brienne narrowed her eyes. “Do you think you could convince your dad to sell us a few acres…” 

Brienne blinked at him in stunned silence. What the fuck had just happened in the last 5 minutes. They agreed on no babies. There was a potential tour. Farewell tour to be precise. He wanted her to play lead guitar for freaking Kingslayer. He wanted them to live together. But not just anywhere… on a little slice of her family ranch. “Jaime… is there anything else you want to tell me? Anything at all?” 

“Well there is one more thing…” Brienne gaped at him. Seriously? “I think I want to make a country album and I want you to write it with me.” She flopped onto her back on the blanket and stared up at the blue sky and then Brienne started to laugh hysterically, unsure of how she was ever going to stop.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm never comfortable with endings. I'm really not. I worry no matter how good or bad it is people will be disappointed, and I'm sure many of you will. But this is the longest thing I've ever done and I'm just not a saga type of writer who gets up into 50 or more chapters. There's always room for a sequel to this so that's a possibility, but for right now I felt like this was a good ending to the story. I know some will disagree strongly and I sincerely apologize. But I do hope you have enjoyed most of this story and I sincerely thank you for reading. <3

The next three weeks were the craziest time of her life and every night when she lay down to sleep she couldn’t believe the new developments. When Jaime got an idea in his head he went for it. There was no hesitation, no procrastination, no doubt - he just went at it full throttle. It helped that he had a massive amount of cash at his disposal to make things happen as quickly as he wanted them to. But Brienne had to admit that she admired the way he knew what he wanted. Whether it was building a house, doing a farewell tour or recording a country album - he was focussed. 

There was one more thing he was focussed on too - her. Brienne smiled. Jaime had made his love and devotion very, very clear. There were times he was intense, almost suffocating, but she didn’t mind. She had honestly given up on ever finding a man like Jaime, or a man at all really... but now that she had him she realized he was everything she’d wanted and dreamed about. 

The relationship that had developed between Jaime and her father was pretty incredible too. He’d told her one night that her dad was everything he’d always wished his own father would be. Brienne knew she was lucky to have a father like Selwyn, but she hadn’t considered what it would be like to have a different kind of man raising her… someone like Tywin Lannister. But what really mattered at the end of the day was that Jaime was a wonderful man. He’s loyal, kind, smart, funny, talented, charming… she could go on forever listing the good things about him. Even though Tywin had been a cold, strict parent - he’d raised Jaime into an incredible guy. 

Brienne thought back to three weeks earlier, when they had sat down with her father and asked him about buying some land to build a house. She’d been nervous. She knew her dad loved Jaime, almost like a son by that point, but she didn’t know how he would feel about selling land or about her and Jaime taking a huge step like building a house together. 

_“I would be happy to sever off a few acres for the two of you… on one condition,” Selwyn said, eying Jaime. “You’ll draw up a legal document that gives the house and property to Brienne… should anything happen and you two break up.” Brienne held her breath waiting for Jaime to answer. She was feeling so anxious and awkward about the whole thing, and this condition wasn’t helping. Suddenly Jaime started laughing and she had no idea what it meant. Did he think Selwyn’s offer was funny? What the hell?_

_“Sorry,” he said, still smiling. “I’m just laughing because my lawyer is already drawing up those exact papers as we speak.” Relief hit her like a truck. “This home will be ours,” he said, reaching for her hand. “But I would never try to keep it or take half if we break up. This ranch is Tarth land and it will always belong to a Tarth, as it should.” Jaime looked over at her briefly with a twinkle in his eye, “But I can’t imagine that being a problem, unless Brienne gets sick of me.”_

Brienne climbed up onto her horse, still thinking about things. As if Jaime thought she would ever get sick of him. She was madly in love with him and couldn’t imagine that ever happening. She gave the horse a light spur and they took off. Jaime was practicing in the barn, though he wouldn’t have to for very much longer. There were currently men inside her dad’s house turning one of the spare rooms into a studio. Another one of Jaime’s impulsive moves. Selwyn was actually quite excited about the idea and he’d even agreed to sit in with them on a couple songwriting sessions for the album Jaime was planning. But for the time being Jaime was still hard at work in the barn, and still requesting that she give him space most of the time, though they’d done a couple of jam sessions together and even started working on a song the other day. It was strange that he still wanted his privacy because she’d seen him play and he was doing amazing. She couldn’t help but wonder what was going on… She didn’t ask him though, she just followed his request and gave him the space he needed. 

Brienne was enjoying the feeling of the wind in her face as she rode. She just needed to get away for a little while and try to clear her head. The last few days especially had been a bit overwhelming. Not only had they met with a builder to start designing the house, but they had also met with Bronn and Jaime’s lawyer to go over her contract for the tour. 

_“Is this really necessary?” Brienne asked quietly, as they waited for the lawyer to show up. Bronn was off in the kitchen trying to score some homemade cookies. “The tour won’t even start for almost a year… can’t we hold off on the paperwork for a while?”_

_Jaime patted her knee. “Nope. I need your name on those papers so I know you won’t change your mind in the next thirteen months,” he teased. “But in all honestly, even though this tour is only going to be a select number of cities… you have no idea the amount of work and planning that goes into any tour, especially one that’s going to be as epic as this. Choosing the set, planning the stage, practicing, hiring crew and transportation, picking the venues, setting prices, rehearsals and more… but before we can start any of that we have to negotiate everyone’s contracts.”_

_Brienne sighed. “But I don’t want to go over the whole thing… I trust you. Can’t I just sign the damn thing?” She was pouting and Jaime just chuckled at her. The next hour and a half she sat there listening to the lawyer go through each page of her contract, first in legal mumble jumble and then he explained it in terms she understood. When they got to the final page Brienne gasped, “That…. That’s my salary?” She looked at Jaime, eyes wide. “I think there’s an extra zero on the end.”_

_“I pay my band well,” Jaime said with a shrug. “And you’re not just any band member - you’re playing my part… you’re like half of me,” he smiled at her. “No pressure or anything,” Jaime teased her._

No pressure, Brienne thought, slowing her ride. She sighed. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to play on the tour. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be right by Jaime’s side. But she was honestly terrified about how the fans were going to take having a woman playing lead guitar… playing Jaime’s riffs. There was no telling how people would react. Yeah, they could totally embrace her, or they could completely hate her. What bothered her even more than how people would react was that it even bothered her at all. She’d quit caring what people thought about her a long time ago, but now her insecurities had returned and she hated it.   
Brienne tried to convince herself that it was just the stress of so many changes happening all at once. She was used to a more laid back kind of lifestyle where change took time. But clearly that wasn’t Jaime’s style at all. “I’ll get used to it won’t I girl?” she said out loud to the horse patting the mare on the neck lovingly. Starburst neighed in response and Brienne decided to take that as a yes. 

She was feeling so much better when she returned from the ride. She’d been gone almost 2 hours and had lots of time to think through everything that had been happening and then she pushed it all away and just enjoyed the ride back. She’d gone out to the parcel of land that now belonged to her and Jaime and just wandered around for a few minutes. The builders were coming to break ground the following week. If all went well in less than 6 months they would be moved in. That was one thing she was definitely excited about. 

Brienne loved her father, but she wanted to be able to make love to Jaime and not worry about anyone hearing them - especially her dad. She wanted to be able to walk around naked and do wild and crazy things whenever she wanted to - like make out in the kitchen or fuck in the living room. She intended on breaking in every damn room in the house… and it was going to be a huge house. Brienne knew Jaime would be fully on board with her plan. 

She was just removing the saddle from Starburst when Jaime came flying in. “There you are,” he gasped. “You need to go shower, quickly. I’ve been looking for you for an hour, where’s your phone?” 

“I left it home…” She eyed him curiously. “What’s going on?” 

“We’re going out tonight… and we need to leave in like 45 minutes or we’ll be late,” he said impatiently. 

“Where are we going?” she asked. One of the hands came in and took over with Starburst. 

Jaime rolled his eyes, “It’s a surprise, Silly.” 

“You know I hate surprises,” she sighed, already feeling anxious. “And you seem to be full of them lately.” She hadn’t meant to be so negative and she immediately felt bad when she saw the wounded look on his face. “I’m sorry,” Brienne said quickly. “I’ll go get ready, I’m sure it’s going to be fun,” she gave him a smile. 

40 minutes later they were headed into the city. The first stop was dinner at a delicious steak place. They got to pick out their own cuts and the food was incredible. “Now what?” Brienne asked after a delicious apple cake and cinnamon ice cream for dessert. So far his surprise had been great, but she knew there had to be more than just dinner. 

Jaime smiled at her. “Did you know Kingslayer was playing here in Memphis tonight?” Brienne started to smile back. She had known that they were playing Memphis soon, but hadn’t actually paid attention to the exact date. “I figure it’s time to check out my replacement in person.” 

“We’re going to the concert?” she asked, excited. She was hit with a wave of nerves though, wondering if Jaime was really ready to see someone else singing his songs, with his band, in front of his fans. But he’d already committed to retiring and Brienne knew that Robb had agreed to take over after the farewell tour, so maybe it was time for Jaime to see what the future held. 

Jaime nodded. “Just promise me that no matter how good he is… you’ll tell me after that I’m still better,” he chuckled. “I don’t know if my ego can handle anything else.” 

Brienne reached across the table for his hand. “You know no one compares to you in my eyes,” she said softly. “I promise you… he’s good, but he’s not and could never be you.” He looked very thankful and calmed by her words which made her realize how truly difficult this might be for him. “We don’t have to go if you’re not ready. We don’t have to go just because they’re close.” 

“Nah, I’m fine. I swear,” Jaime brushed it off. “I already told Bronn we were coming.” They left the restaurant and somehow, by the grace of God, no one approached them, even though she’d seen tons of other diners giving them looks. They knew it was Jaime… many of them were likely attending the concert. Maybe it was out of respect or maybe uncertainty, but none of them approached. 

Thirty minutes later they were parked under the venue and standing in the wings, where she’d stood so often before watching Jaime in the spot light. Now someone else was there and he was amazing. The fans had clearly fallen in love with Robb. “Are you okay?” she whispered, reaching for Jaime’s hand. 

“I actually am,” he said, squeezing her hand. “As much as it hurts… It makes me happy to know that when I’m done for good Kingslayer will be in good hands.” She leaned on his shoulder feeling so proud of his outlook on what had to be a very bittersweet moment. 

When the song ended Robb addressed the crowd for a moment. “We have a special surprise for you tonight. Someone is here and would like to come out and play a song for you.” Robb looked over in their direction, “So please put your hands together for the one, the only…Jaime Lannister.” He screamed Jaime’s name loudly and the crowd went absolutely inside. Brienne looked at some of the faces she could see in the front row and saw there were actually tears. 

She looked at Jaime in shock. She couldn’t believe it when he kissed her cheek and walked out of the wings. A roadie was waiting with a guitar and handed it to him. How long had he been planning this? Clearly long enough to have a left handed guitar ready and the band ready to announce him. There were instantly butterflies in her stomach as she watched Jaime walk to the stool waiting at centre stage. He was smiling. The crowd was screaming. Everything seemed perfect… but was he actually ready to do this? 

He sat down, adjusted the mic and fiddled for a second with the guitar. He’d got really good with the prosthetic and if you didn’t know it actually looked completely natural from a distance. Jaime looked out at the crowd and gave a little wave. They went insane again and slowly she started to relax. He had them eating out of his hand like he’d never left. Before Jaime spoke a word she was already crying. Tears of pride were rolling down her cheeks, just like so many fans in the audience. 

“Hi Memphis,” he spoke into the microphone. “Thanks for having me.” They all went nuts again. It was so loud and the fans were so excited Brienne wondered if they would ever quiet down enough for him to sing. But the moment he started to speak again they all went silent, listening intently to every word he spoke. “When I’m going to sing you tonight is something very different from what you’re used to from me, so I hope you’ll indulge me this moment because there’s a really special reason I want to sing this song.” He glanced quickly in her direction. “Several months ago someone came into my life. I really wasn’t a big believer in fate, but I know now that she was sent to me for a reason. I wouldn’t be here without her. Not only did she literally save my life, she also saved my heart and my soul.” The tears picked up and Brienne actually sobbed out loud. She heard sighs and ‘awwww’ in the audience. “I started listening to different music the last few weeks. Stuff I wouldn’t normally listen to.. Country, soft rock, pop… even a bit of mellow indie songs… all songs that are a little easier to play,” he held up the prosthetic with a shrug. “I came across this older country song and the lyrics said everything that was in my heart. Everything I wanted to say to the woman who means everything to me. So I spent some time… a lot of time… figuring out how to make this song a little more me. And this is what I came up with. Brienne,” he looked over at her again. “This is for you.” 

Brienne literally felt like she was going to pass out from the emotion he was bringing out in her. It only took her a moment to recognize the song he’d picked and she felt her heart start to swell with the tenderness and the honesty in his voice. The very first line almost brought her to her knees. “It was no accident, me finding you. Someone had a hand in it, long before we ever knew.” It was a song called Keeper of the Stars by Tracy Byrd, but Jaime had really put his own spin on it and it was somehow even more beautiful than the original. It still had a country feel, but also a bit of a rock edge. Brienne could see them playing it on top 40 radio as well as country and rock stations too if he ever recorded it. 

Listening to him sing the song, with tears of joy streaming down her face Brienne finally say everything clearly. Everything she’d been worried about melted away and all that mattered was the perfect man, singing her the most perfect song. She knew when they went back on tour he would be magical. She knew this new album he was planning would be incredible. She knew she could stand out there on stage and play her heart out and the fans would respect her if nothing else but because they knew how much Jaime loved her. But most importantly she knew that he was madly in love with her, the same way she felt for him. 

Their immediate future was planned, but whatever was beyond that she knew would be perfect because they had found each other - just like they were supposed to. The song ended the same way it started - _It was no accident, me finding you. Someone had a hand in it, long before we ever knew._ As the last chord faded off the crowd was silent and then all of a sudden they erupted with applause and screams. 

Jaime stood and waved to them, gave a little bow and then handed off his guitar as he started to walk in her direction. He met her eyes and she stared back at him. As much as she wasn’t a fan of public displays of affection she couldn’t stop herself from taking two steps out of the wings as he got close. In the eyes of the world he brushed away her tears. “I love you Bri,” he whispered into her ear. Then Jaime kissed her and she forgot where they were. She melted into his arms and kissed him back. It was the most romantic moment of her life and she knew she would never forget a second of it. He could try to top it, and knowing Jaime he probably would try, but this was the moment that her future finally felt completely certain and you could only feel that way once in a lifetime. 

As Jaime took her hand and led her back to the wings to watch the rest of the show Brienne realized that it was like everything in her life, all the good and all the bad, had led her to this moment, but it wasn’t an ending. No, it wasn’t an ending at all - it was a beginning for both of them. Brienne had never been more ready to start a new chapter of her life and she was even more excited that she wasn’t starting this one alone. 

_The end!_


End file.
